Welcome to IT Pro's News in Review, a weekly bite-sized bulletin of the top tech stories of the week, for the week ending 22 April, 2022.

This week's stories:

• Millions of Lenovo laptops thought to be vulnerable to newly discovered UEFI malware attacks
• EE reaches new aggregated 5G speed milestone
• Okta concludes investigation into alleged LAPSUS$ security breach

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UK mobile operators EE and Vodafone have delayed the return of the roaming charges, which were set to be reintroduced this month for those travelling to EU countries.

Abolished in EU countries in 2017, roaming charges were set to return following the Brexit agreement the UK government signed with its European counterparts.

Vodafone's roaming charges were due to come into force on 6 January 2022, however, this has now been rescheduled to “the end of January '', a Vodafone spokesperson told IT Pro.

The delay will provide “time for further testing to ensure the best possible experience for customers purchasing our £1 per day bundles,” they said, adding that, “until then, customers will continue to be able to roam without charges”.

EE, meanwhile, has postponed the return of roaming charges to March 2022, after previously planning to reinstate them from the start of January.

This is due to “technical delays”, a spokesperson told IT Pro.

The charges, which include a “new flat fee of £2 a day to use their plan’s data, minutes and texts allowance while roaming across 47 European destinations” will be introduced from 3rd March 2022.

EE customers will be able to choose to add a 30-day Roam Abroad Pass to their plan, with Essential plan customers being able to take the Pass for £10, while those on Smart or Full Works plans being able to include the same pass as part of their package.

“The small daily charge is capped, which removes any worry of returning home to a larger than expected bill,” the spokesperson added.

Three customers can expect the post-Brexit roaming charges to return on 23 May 2022. The company had previously said it wanted to retain EU roaming at no extra cost, but that this was no longer possible under current conditions.

This leaves O2 as the only major UK mobile operator that has yet to announce any new roaming fees.

“We’re committed to providing our customers with great connectivity and value when they travel outside the UK. We currently have no plans to change the ‘Roam Like at Home’ arrangements,” an O2 spokesperson previously stated.

Glasgow’s commuters can now benefit from 4G connectivity across the city’s 15 subway stations, following a successful rollout by EE.

The 4G infrastructure has been installed to support an emergency services network (ESN), which is due to be activated in the coming months and will provide secure critical communication alongside the subway route, with the rollout being extended to tunnels in the future.

The news comes nearly six years after EE won the £1 billion contract to supply the UK's emergency services with the LTE-based ESN, replacing the existing Tetra network and reportedly saving the UK £1 million a day in running costs.

Today, the operator announced that the Glasgow subway’s 4G rollout has been completed in time for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), which starts on 31 October. Over the course of two weeks, Glasgow will see thousands of visitors taking part in the event, with many expected to use the subway system to move between venues.

The 4G network is currently only available for EE customers, although a company spokesperson told IT Pro that it is “open to working with other operators to extend coverage to include their networks”.

Commuters will be able to check emails, send messages, and make calls using the subway’s new 4G network, however communication between the emergency services will take priority over all other network traffic, even at peak transit times. This is in order to ensure that the speed of first responders receiving important data through ESN is not degraded by the commuters’ use of 4G.

Police Scotland’s chief inspector Stevie Espie described the rollout of 4G and ESN in Glasgow’s subway stations as “vital for the emergency services in Scotland”.

“ESN will allow emergency responders enhanced, priority-based access to their critical communications system, even in busier periods, whilst the use of 4G will allow the emergency services to deploy innovative, digital technology to deliver the best service to the public,” he said.

Commenting on the announcement, the ESN managing director at BT’s Enterprise unit, Richard Harrap, said that the technology will allow emergency service responders “to transmit reliable and consistent digital communications across the 4G network”, as well as provide them with “immediate access to life-saving information in live situations and emergencies”.

“We’re delighted that SPT Subway has also agreed to us opening up the commercial services within the stations, which will not only help emergency services but also support the public, allowing travellers to use the video, voice and data services that they love,” he added.

Work to add network connectivity to the underground system across London has faced repeated delays since the project started in 2017. Tube commuters were initially expected to benefit from 4G networks in 2019, however, current estimates suggest this won't happen until at least 2024. Partial coverage is expected in 2022, with some of the capital’s busiest stations set to receive 4G connectivity, including Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Bank, Euston, and Camden Town.

EE has been involved in rolling out 4G across London's tube system, having joined Transport for London's trial of the technology in late 2019.

4G has been up and running for over eight years now, and it's since become the industry standard as consumers and businesses users alike need a high-speed connection to power their streaming, social media and remote working. While next-generation 5G connectivity is also now available, coverage remains limited and prices remain high.

All of the UK's mobile networks offer competitive 4G services and many have invested a lot of money to boost coverage to beat their rivals, how can you choose which is the best 4G mobile network for you?

There are lots of things to consider, beyond cost. Although all of the UK's major networks offer 4G services, some are more reliable and offer faster speeds than others. The other consideration is which device you want to go for as different networks also offer different phone models.

We've rounded up the best deals and benefits for each of the four major networks in the UK to see which suits your lifestyle and usage best.

(NB: these are the costs for an individual, SIM-only, 12-month contract. Business contracts and contracts with a phone can and likely will vary. Average speed results taken from www.opensignal.com. All data correct as of September 2020).

See also: What is 4G?

EE: 4G cost and reliability

EE was the first mobile operator to launch 4G services in the UK, and has long been hailed as the best network when it comes to speed, coverage and reliability. According to OpenSignal's latest Mobile Networks report, released in April 2020, this remains unchanged: EE comes out on top when it comes to download speeds, latency and 4G coverage.

According to the report, EE's 4G customers currently enjoy average download speeds of 35.9Mbps, more than 10Mbps faster than its nearest rival Vodafone. Average upload speeds come in at 9.7Mbps.

In terms of coverage, OpenSignal shows that EE's 4G serves 94.8% of the country's population, just shy of the operator's target to reach 95% coverage by the end of 2020.

EE's cheapest 4G plan starts at £20 per month, which comes with 100GB of data, unlimited minutes and texts, and guaranteed speeds of 60Mbps. The operator also offers a £23 plan that comes with 200GB of monthly data.

O2: 4G cost and reliability

O2's 4G offering has vastly improved in recent years, though it still falls behind its rivals when it comes to speeds and coverage.

According to OpenSignal data, the network currently has an average 4G download speed of 18Mbps, an improvement of less than 3Mbps since 2017, and almost half the average speeds offered by EE. It's upload speeds are also lacking, coming in at an average of 6.4Mbps. In terms of coverage, O2 currently reaches 89.2% of the UK population.

However, O2's 4G plans are cheaper than some. It's cheapest 4G SIM-only plan comes in at £10 per month, although this comes with only 5GB data. For £20 a month, this can be increased to 100GB.

Three: 4G cost and reliability

Three has long been seen as the smallest of the UK's 4G networks, and although it's services are improvement, it still falls short of rival networks.

OpenSignal's report shows that the network's average 4G speeds come in at 22.4Mbps, while customers see average upload speeds of 8.2Mbps on the company's 4G network. In terms of its availability, the network currently reaches 80% of the UK's population.

While it's struggling to compete on speeds and coverage, Three is known for offering a huge range of different packages. The company's cheapest plan costs £5 per month and comes with 1GB data, while paying £5, £10, or £18 per month increases this to 4GB, 8GB and 100GB of data, respectively. Three is also one of the only networks to offer unlimited data plans.

Vodafone: 4G cost and reliability

Vodafone's 4G network began life as a London-only service when it launched in 2013, but efforts to upgrade the network has helped position the provider as one of the UK's leading providers.

The networks offers the UK's second-fastest 4G speeds, according to OpenSignal, with average download speeds of 25.4Mbps. It also offers the second-fastest upload speeds, which come in at 9.1Mbps.

In terms of coverage, Vodafone's 4G network reaches 88% of the UK population, just 1.2% lower than rival O2.

At the time of writing, Vodafone is offering a 50% discount on its 4G SIM-only plans. That means you can pick up unlimited data for just £11 per month - although speeds will top out at 2Mbps. The network's bumper £37 plan also offers unlimited data but promises the "fastest speeds available".

Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs)

Although the companies above control their own network infrastructures, they are by no means the only choice when it comes to 4G. There are a number of companies that make use of these infrastructures to provide their own services, although 4G coverage is still tied to the controlling company.

GiffGaff

Infrastructure: O2

GiffGaff has been voted best MVNO for multiple years thanks to its flexible contracts and reward schemes for community members. Unlike traditional operators, it does not have a high-street presence and relies on its community for customer support. As it uses O2's network, users can expect average speeds of 18Mbps.

Virgin Mobile

Infrastructure: EE

Virgin Mobile is known for its incredibly low starting prices, with rollover data that allows you to carry over any unused allowance from month to month. WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are also free to use on this service, so they don't eat into your monthly data. The best part is that Virgin Mobile uses EE's infrastructure, which means customers get access to the fastest 4G speeds and the best coverage.

Sky Mobile

Infrastructure: O2

Sky Mobile is the newest MVNO on the list. Its biggest selling point is the idea of 'rollover' data, where customers are able to make use of unused data from one month and add it to the next. Sky Mobile will also let you switch between tariffs each month, even if you are locked into a contract. Sky Mobile also uses O2 infrastructure, so expect average 4G speeds of 18Mbps.

Tesco Mobile

Infrastructure: O2

One of the first supermarkets to dive into the mobile provider market, Tesco Mobile offers capped services, so you don't go over your allowance, and free roaming in 31 countries. You can even earn points as you use the service, which can be linked to your Tesco Clubcard. Tesco Mobile also uses O2 infrastructure, so expect 4G speeds to reach an average of 18Mbps.

Image: Shutterstock

EE has announced it's been successful testing an end-to-end mobile 5G network in a lab environment, achieving download speeds of 2.8Gbps.

The company also had support from Huawei, which provided its proof-of-concept 5G baseband unit and a 64x64 massive multiple-input, multiple output (MIMO) antenna, hooking it up to a fully virtualised 5G core.

It was tested on 100 MHz of the 3.5GHz spectrum, which has been set up for testing such environments. EE hopes the architecture its solution is built upon (Option 3 of 3GPP Release 15) will be finalised for use next month and receive the complete go-ahead for use early next year.

The use of virtualised core network technologies meant it could achieve greater efficiencies alongside reduced costs, making it a more commercially viable way of presenting 5G services to customers in the future.

"We're using our experience in cutting edge 4G technologies and our dedicated partnership approach to ensure technology leadership in 5G," said Tom Bennett, EE Director of Network Services & Devices. "The network architecture we've proven today is a huge step forward, and will drive our ambitious rollout timetable to be first for 5G."

EE explained the key breakthrough was delivering a consistent 2.8Gbps downlink with sub 5ms latency, which is the first time this has been achieved end-to-end, rather than just over the air.

EE has already demonstrated its pre-5G network, which was set up using the company's patent-pending Helikite solution, which is comprised of mini mobile sites attached to a helium balloon to fill gaps in 4G mobile coverage where sites have been damaged.

EE customers are struggling to get online after data issues hit the network.

The telecoms giant hasn't yet identified the source of the problem, but it appears to be spread across the UK. It is only affecting 4G and 3G data services, not voice.

According to Down Detector, parts of the network have been down since 8am this morning, with outages reported in Belfast, Glasgow, London and elsewhere across the country.

Frustrated users have reported seeing a message reading: "Could not connect to mobile network data. PDP authentication failure".

EE's Twitter account said: "We're aware of a data issue affecting 4G internet connectivity on some services for a few customers this morning. Voice is unaffected. We're working to fix the issue ASAP."

A spokesperson told IT Pro that full service was restored 40 minutes ago, but users are still reporting faults online. If you are still having trouble getting online, it's worth restarting your phone.

"We had a data issue affecting some internet services for some of our customers on 4G," the spokesperson said. "Phone calls and text messages were unaffected, and some internet services continued to work as usual. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Ofcom has fined EE 2.7 million for overcharging tens of thousands of customers, then deciding not to reimburse some of them.

The mobile operator broke a billing rule when it charged 32,145 customers around 245,700 for calling its 150 customer service number while roaming in the EU between July 2014 and July 2015.

EE mistakenly instructed its billing records department to disregard the international dialling code in front of the customer service number, meaning the 1' of 150' was instead misread as the international dialling code for the US, leading to customers being charged 1.20 per minute, instead of 19p per minute, for an average overcharge of 9.42.

Rather than reimburse the affected customers, EE decided that it couldn't identify those it had overcharged, saying some had left EE, and so proposed to give customers' money to charity until Ofcom intervened.

Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom's consumer group director, said: "EE didn't take enough care to ensure that its customers were billed accurately. This ended up costing customers thousands of pounds, which is completely unacceptable.

"We monitor how phone companies bill their customers, and will not tolerate careless mistakes. Any company that breaks Ofcom's rules should expect similar consequences."

IT Pro understands that only 0.1% of EE's userbase was affected, and that it has put measures in place to stop this happening again, introducing new systems that subsequently allowed it to contact 26,000 customers to apologise and provide a full refund.

Ofcom's fine also covered a incident from November 2015 to January 2016, when EE had made it free to call or text the 150 number, but carried on billing 7,674 customers until 11 January, overcharging them 2,203.33.

EE has since managed to track and refund all affected customers. It now has 20 days to pay Ofcom the 2.7 million fine, which the regulator will pass on to the Treasury.

The penalty follows Ofcom's 4.6 million fine issued to Vodafone last October for billing issues.

An EE spokesman said in a statement: "We accept these findings and apologise unreservedly to those customers affected by these technical billing issues between 2014 and 2015. We have put measures in place to prevent this from happening again, and have contacted the majority of customers to apologise and provide a full refund. For those customers that we could not identify, we donated the remaining excess fees to charitable causes in line with Ofcom's guidelines.

"Providing the best network experience and best customer service for EE customers in store, online and over the phone through our UK and Ireland-based centres are our top priorities. Following Ofcom's findings, we have made a number of additional improvements to our systems and policies to allow us to better support our customers in the rare occasion that billing issues do occur."

Picture: Bigstock

EE has called for all networks to be transparent about their 4G coverage as it revealed it has wiped out 5,000sqkm of 4G black spots overnight.

The company also reported it had improved signal in 500,000 homes around the country as it strives to keep its title as most reliable 4G network provider.

EE said it will report all coverage in geographic terms by the end of 2017, making it easier for consumers to make a decision about which provider to sign up with. The company wants all networks to use the same measurements to enable consumers to make better comparisons before deciding who to go with.

"Today, people think they will get mobile coverage absolutely everywhere, because as an industry we've talked about coverage with confusing population metrics, and language that sets the wrong expectations," said EE CEO Marc Allera.

"Too often, the customer experience has been very different from the marketing. That has to stop. We're asking our peers and the mobile industry to get Clear on Coverage.' All operators should publish clearer geographic coverage information, and we're seeking support from Ofcom as the independent source of information on mobile coverage and quality."

EE wants Ofcom to back its campaign for a clearer system of measuring network coverage - a cause also backed by the Countryside Alliance.

"We welcome EE's call for the mobile industry to deliver clearer information to customers about where they can expect to get a signal," Sarah Lee, head of policy at the Countryside Alliance, said.

"It is vital that mobile consumers are able to make an informed decision about which network has the potential to serve them best. We believe that the move towards reporting all coverage in geographic terms by January 2017 is a step in the right direction and has the potential to offer significant benefits to rural consumers."

EE wants 95% of the UK to be covered by 4G coverage by the end of 2020, a target it thinks is possible after it added 4G coverage to an additional 25% of the UK this year.

"We want to make it easier and clearer for consumers to know where they will and won't get coverage, and which network is the right one for them," Allera concluded.

Ofcom has set out rules for next year's spectrum auctions, which appear to prevent BT from bidding for half of the available frequencies on offer.

The 2017 auction should bid out 190MHz of spectrum in two bands, 2.3 GHz and 3.4GHz, increasing the overall spectrum available by 29%.

According to figures from Citi (cited by The Financial Times), after its acquisition of EE, BT owns around 42% of the UK's usable spectrum, while Vodafone owns about 28%, followed by Three (15%) and O2 (14%).

In order to prevent BT from becoming too dominant and favour competition between UK mobile operators, Ofcom said it would prevent BT/EE from bidding for 2.3 GHz band spectrum.

The 2.3GHz band is accessible by most current smartphones, and would hence be frequencies that would immediately boost a mobile provider's capacity.

As most mobile devices are not currently using it, spectrum in the 3.4Gz band, will not be capped. This spectrum is likely to become usable in the coming years.

This should allow a greater possibility for expansion in currently utilisable spectrum by smaller mobile operators such as Three and O2.

In October, Three, TalkTalk and the Federation of Communication Services (FCS) had sent an open letter to Ofcom CEO Sharon White, asking for a 30% cap on the total amount of spectrum companies can own, to prevent BT/EE and Vodafone from monopolising the market.

Among other things, the letter said that the uneven spectrum distribution between UK mobile operators could result in "higher prices for a poorer service at a time when mobile's importance to the digital economy has never been greater".

At the time, a BT/EE spokesperson had told IT Pro: "We use our spectrum to deliver the very best network experience for customers. We pioneered 4G and we are a leader in network speeds, developing technologies to provide some of the highest mobile download speeds in the world."

Ofcom's decision suggests it also wants to prevent BT from dominating the mobile operator market, particularly seeing as this auction will be of crucial importance, as no further spectrum should be released before 2020.

Some mobile operators, such as Three, were not entirely satisfied by OfCom's decision. Three's CEO, Dave Dyson, released a statement saying: "Ofcom exists to promote competition and protect consumers but it has once again shown it is not willing to make the big decisions needed to deliver the best outcome for the UK."

Dyson added: "The mobile industry is failing customers and Ofcom has showed it has no interest in addressing that. A 30% cap on total spectrum ownership and a spectrum reservation for smaller operators are the only measures that will preserve competition for the benefit of UK mobile consumers."

This article was originally published on 21/11/2016 at 12:00, but was updated on 22/11/2016 at 15:27 to include a statement by Three.

EE has upgraded its 4G network to offer much faster speeds - but only for some smartphone users.

Its Cat 9 network should ensure a speed bump for all devices connecting to its network, and customers using HTC M10, Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge and the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 handsets should get the full benefit.

"We've invested in our network to ensure that all of our customers get the most out of the amazing smartphones they have, and can keep up with the highest speeds that the latest devices offer," said EE CEO Marc Allera.

The lab-based maximum for a Cat 9 device is 450Mbps, according to EE, and the HTC M10 just achieved a real-world speed of over 360Mbps on the EE network at Wembley Stadium. HTC claimed that this was the fastest speed customers could achieve in the UK and equal of anywhere else in the world.

EE had switched on its "4G+" network a couple of years ago to support Cat 6 devices. This uses two blocks of mobile spectrum, and is available in more than 150 towns and cities across the UK.

The next phase to support Cat 9 devices will enable access to a third block of spectrum for high-speed 4G services in more than 500 sites across these towns and cities by the end of 2017.

To enable these speeds, EE combines 20MHz of 1800MHz spectrum with 35MHz of 2600MHz spectrum to create 55MHz of spectrum deployed for 4G services.

The upgraded network is live around Wembley Stadium and more sites in central and east London are set to go live later this year, including Tech City in east London. The network should reach Manchester and Birmingham next year.

Three has asked Ofcom to stop Vodafone and BT buying too much spectrum when the auction happens later this year.

The company's smallest mobile provider thinks it would be unfair if the two companies bought more than their fair share. After all, BT and EE together (now just one massive BT network) own almost half of the available spectrum, Vodafone owns around a third more, while Three and O2 own comparably less. Three feels it would put the company in a bad position if Ofcom allows both operators to buy up more.

"The combination of BT and EE is incredibly strong financially. It has got the financial ability to outcompete everyone in the market in how much they are willing to pay," Three chief David Dyson told the Financial Times.

"Potentially, given how much spectrum they are already sitting on, BT is incentivised to strategically bid in the next auction to restrict the other operators in the market from increasing their spectrum portfolio...That could make life difficult."

The European Commission didn't allow Three and O2 to complete its merger earlier in the year, so it could be that Three has a bee in its bonnet about that and the impact it will have on its market share.

"Three and O2 are important and effective competitors in the UK, helping to deliver innovation, investment and competitive prices over many years," the European Commission wrote in its decision.

"Competition must be sustainable, and regulation should support it. We will aim to do so through tools such as market reviews or auctions of mobile airwaves."

EE plans to bring 4G coverage to 95 per cent of the UK within the next four years.

The mobile operator's strategy focuses on eradicating so-called notspots - places where there is no 4G coverage - and pays particular attention to rural areas.

This includes 4G coverage that has been turned on in Shetland and the Isles of Scilly, which the company claimed demonstrates its "commitment to connect the furthest edges of the UK". Shetland is the most northerly region of the UK, while the Scilly Isles are the most southerly.

It comes after the UK's 4G coverage was found to lag behind the US and Europe, with EE providing the most coverage at 60 per cent, 10 per cent behind coverage in other countries.

The company is also rolling out Voice over LTE (VoLTE, also known as 4G Calling) across the UK, which it said will both allow users to continue accessing high-speed internet while they are on the phone, rather than being shifted onto 3G as currently happens.

It will also ensure people who are in 4G-only areas can make calls on their mobile phones.

"For the average smartphone user, not-spots aren't tolerated and 2G doesn't deliver what they need," said EE CEO Marc Allera.

Allera said mobile operators were "too used to saying 'no' to new coverage", but that with this announcement his company is "saying 'yes' with an ambition to go further than any operator has ever gone ... with the ultimate aim of covering the whole of the UK with 4G".

As well as announcing its 4G plans, EE also revealed it will bring all its customer service calls back to the UK and Ireland, after Ofcom fined it 1 million last year for customer service failures.

This will create 600 new roles, the company said, including 100 jobs spread across Plymouth, Merthyr Tydfil and North Tyneside, which will be created by the end of June this year. The remaining 500 will be announced in the second half of 2016.

"We've already seen a major boost in customer satisfaction by creating 1,400 new service jobs here since 2014," said Allera. "Now we're creating 600 additional jobs to handle all EE customer service calls in the UK and Ireland by the end of this year, providing the best possible experience for our customers."

Mobile operator EE has managed to double its 4G subscriber base in the last year. It also reported that its LTE network covered 95 per cent of the population.

In its last financial update as an independent entity, the operator reported profits of 1.781bn on flat sales of around 6bn. EE was acquired by BT for 12.5bn last year, in a deal that was officially completed last week.

The firm became the first in Europe to boast more than 14m subscribers to its 4G network. The total 4G base doubled in 2015, it claimed. The total number of 4G corporate accounts grew to over 9,100, a rise of 30 per cent year-on-year. It said its postpay churn remained low at 1.1 per cent, and added 141,000 contract customers in the fourth quarter.

The operator said that the award by the UK government of the Emergency Services Network (ESN) contract will see the firm expand its network capability, and through 4G LTE provision, improve the communications capability of the UK's emergency services. The ESN will require new investment and increased operating costs from 2016, with revenues not anticipated to start until the second half of 2017.

EE warned that regulatory pressures are expected to increase through this year, with higher spectrum licence fees as well as reduced roaming rates and mobile termination rates all expected to impact financials from 2016 and beyond.

"2015 was an exceptional year for EE, as we met and exceeded 4G targets, won multiple awards for our network performance, and improved our customer satisfaction scores," said Marc Allera, EE's CEO.

"As part of BT, we're entering the next chapter of EE's journey, and look forward to a phenomenal opportunity to innovate for the benefit of our customers, while continuing to build and enhance the UK's digital infrastructure."

EE's CEO, Olaf Swantee, will step down after BT formally acquires the mobile operator later this month, the company confirmed today.

Swantee, who has occupied the CEO role for four-and-a-half years, will be replaced by EE's chief commercial officer, Marc Allera, who will lead the business when it becomes part of BT Group.

BT's intention to acquire the company for 12.5 billion was first announced in early 2015, and in October was provisionally cleared by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The CMA said the merger does not pose a risk to the UK's broadband or mobile markets, despite rivals voicing a number of concerns.

Market regulator Ofcom also raised an issue, saying the take over, along with similar ones such as Three's acquisition of O2, could harm competition.

However, the CMA is due to deliver a final verdict later this month.

Under Swantee's leadership, EE has attracted 12.6 million 4G subscribers, and appeared well on its way to hitting its target of 14 million by the end of 2015.

The outgoing CEO said in a statement: "As we approach the imminent completion of the deal with BT and the start of an exciting new chapter for EE, I've taken the enormously difficult decision to step down from my role as CEO, and pursue new opportunities.

"To leave EE is probably the hardest decision of my career, but I feel the time is right for me to handover for the next exciting chapter of EE's incredible journey. I wish Marc all the success for the future."

UPDATE - 17/12/2015: EE has initiated a full recall of its Power Bars, asking for customers to return all of the chargers.

The Telco has expanded the recall, which started with a batch of 500,000 units in August.

The recall was prompted by one of the portable chargers overheating, leading to a fire which left a medical student needing plastic surgery.

EE has now decided to recall the remaining million or so units, stating that "This is just a precaution, but we want to make sure all our customers are safe".

"We're asking everyone to stop using Power Bars and unplug them from their phones or tablets, and the mains," the company said.

Customers are urged to return their chargers to an EE store "as soon as you can", with eligible EE customers receiving a 20 voucher for their trouble.

The company has not specified whether or not the Power Bars will be re-issued once the problem has been solved, as it is apparently "fully focused on the recall".

EE has recalled a batch of Power Bar chargers it had given to customers for free after one exploded, causing serious burns to a young woman.

The mobile operator said it became aware of the issue after the customer complained, tweeting a picture of her severely burnt hand, alongside the message: "Ty @EE for the powerbar which exploded, almost burned down our house+left my hand like this: #Firework."

The 26-year-old medical student said she was charging the mobile charger via her laptop while she was sleeping. She was woken up when it overheated and shot across her room, landing under her bed where it started a fire.

Unsurprisingly, she burnt her hands while trying to extinguish the blaze and required plastic surgery after the incident, which happened late in July.

EE said in the recall notice: "Power Bars from any other batch aren't affected by this recall. It's our intention to replace these chargers once we've completed our investigations; we'll be in touch once these have been concluded. We're really sorry for any inconvenience this may cause."

EE advised if your Power Bar displays the batch or model number "E1-06", you should return it to an EE store for a replacement.

However, it also added that it had not heard of any other incidents involving the Power Bars, hence why it was only recalling one batch. It has suspended its Power Bar swap scheme while it recalls the affected batch.

EE announced its Power Bar giveaway at the beginning of April, giving chargers to customers to power up their phones while on the move.

If it depleted while the customer was out and about, they could swap the charger with a new fully charged one at an EE store.

EE has won a 1 billion contract to supply the UK's emergency services with a 4G network for communications.

The new LTE-based emergency services network (ESN) should save the UK 1 million a day in running costs, claimed the government. This network will replace the existing Tetra network from mid-2017 and enable police, fire brigades and ambulance services to access 4G data services.

Minister of state for policing, criminal justice and victims Mike Penning said the rollout would benefit emergency services in the UK.

"Today marks a major achievement in our effort to provide the emergency services with a new modernised communications network that is able to protect the public and save lives," he said.

More than 500 new 4G base stations will be built to support the emergency network. These will run independently from EE's main network service business and consumers, in order to ensure emergency services have full capacity should they need it. Around 300,000 personnel will make use of the network when fully operational.

EE will also switch on its 800MHz spectrum at 3,800 sites as well to improve coverage. The mobile company will also make use of Voice over LTE technology so that personnel can make calls over 4G and enable push-to-talk as well.

EE's Emergency Services team will work closely with the current provider, Airwave, Motorola, and KBR, as well as all end users to manage a smooth transition to the new 4G network.

EE CEO Olaf Swantee said his company was "proud to be selected to deliver this vital new network for Britain's Emergency Services".

"We've worked closely with the Police and Ambulance crews to show the power of 4G in helping save time and save lives. We will now work tirelessly to deliver a highly resilient, truly nationwide 4G network to serve all of Britain's Blue Light and First Responder teams across the UK," he said.

Ofcom has released details of its complaints data for broadband, landline and mobile network services in Q2 2015.

The report has revealed EE's performance was the least impressive, with Ofcom receiving the most complaints about its broadband and landline services.

The company failed to make the landline switching process as easy as it should be, according to the data, while other customers complained there were too many faults and their complaints were not handled effectively, further infuriating them.

EE's broadband services also had too many faults according to 40 per cent of its customer complaints, while billing, pricing and charging generated 20 per cent of its issues.

In the mobile network stakes, Vodafone topped the table, having the most complaints out of any UK mobile carrier for the third year in a row. Customers were unhappy about the company's billing, prices and charges policies (34 per cent), complaints handling (27 per cent) and concerns about faults, service and provision (17 per cent).

O2, Tesco Mobile and Three UK all received fewer complaints than the industry average, but it wasn't such good news for Virgin Media, which saw its Ofcom complaints increase year-on-year.

"Our complaints data allow consumers to make meaningful comparisons that can be useful when looking for a new provider," Claudio Pollack, Director of Ofcom's Content and Consumer Group, said.

"While it's encouraging to see a continued decrease in the total number of complaints, there is still room for improvement. We expect providers to make customer service and complaints handling top priorities."

BT's SIM-only mobile arm snagged 100,000 customers in the first three months of its release, according to the telco's latest quarterly results.

The service, dubbed BT Mobile, piggybacks on EE's mobile network to offer existing BT customers 4G SIM-only deals at cheap rates, and is BT's first return to mobile in 10 years.

Launched in March, the service garnered 50,000 users within six weeks of its release, and that figure has now doubled.

Research firm CCS Insight's director of multiplay and video, Paolo Pescatore, said: "[It's] an encouraging start to BT's return to the consumer mobile market.

"Having added more than 100,000 users within three months it shows that there is a strong appetite among its customers to sign up to more services."

He added that the customer growth spells good news for BT's burgeoning quad-play strategy, offering pay-TV, landline, mobile and broadband services to customers.

While BT's 12.5 billion acquisition of mobile operator EE is yet to be approved by the Competition and Markets Authority, the firm expects to complete the purchase by March next year.

Pescatore said: "This [success in mobile] further validates its cross selling strategy, its move back into mobile, and, with its acquisition of EE, BT will have an extensive retail footprint to showcase a wider range of services."

Elsewhere, BT confirmed it has now rolled out superfast broadband to 80 per cent of the UK, covering 23 million homes, against a target of 95 per cent by 2017.

The news comes as a select committee of MPs are set to explore how to roll out superfast broadband to the remaining five per cent of the UK not covered by this target.

Meanwhile, BT broadband fibre connections grew 14 per cent year-on-year to number 389,000 around the country.

It added that Openreach has not fallen below any of the 60 minimum levels of service Ofcom set as targets for this year, though the regulator is still exploring whether or not to separate the fibre roll-out arm from BT.

The telco's CEO, Gavin Patterson, said in a statement: "This is an exciting time at BT. We continue to invest heavily in our superfast fibre broadband network ... and we will work with government to help take fibre broadband to 95 per cent of the country by the end of 2017.

"Our mobile plans have got off to a good start with more than 100,000 consumer mobile customers signed up in the first three months. We're also looking forward to completing our acquisition of EE, which will allow us to create a true UK digital champion."

EE will smash its target of reaching 14 million 4G customers by the end of the year, according to an analyst, after counting 10.9 million users in its latest quarter.

The mobile operator added 1.5 million people to its mobile user base in the second quarter of 2015, after adding 1.7 million in the first three months of the year, leaving it with 6.7 million more users than it had in the same period last year.

Kester Mann, principal analyst of operators at CCS Insight, said the growth underlined EE's dominance of Europe's 4G market.

"EE remains the largest in-market European 4G operator and is clearly on track to pass its 14 million target at year-end," he said.

The mobile firm claimed its 4G network now reaches 90 per cent of the UK population, covering 600 towns and cities, while double speed 4G is available for 70 per cent of the UK.

Elsewhere, EE notched seven per cent year-on-year growth among business customers, with Abercrombie & Fitch, Lufthansa and thetrainline.com the latest among 8,300 companies who rely on the operator.

The 4G growth helped EE record 3 billion revenue in the first half of 2015 (and 1.5 billion in the latest quarter), rising just 0.1 per cent on last year, with a 141 million profit.

CEO Olaf Swantee said: "Our established leadership in 4G and key differentiators such as Wi-Fi calling are working well for the business. We're the clear network market leader and this, combined with our strong operational performance, has led to a return to revenue growth."

The company's broadband user base added 35,000 customers, while fixed-line revenue grew 18 per cent on the same period last year.

CCS Insight's Mann said: "EE appears to be on track to surpass one million fixed broadband customers by end-2015.

"There is also evidence of progress in EE's connected strategy, which aims to bring a greater number of devices to the network.

"EE saw good growth in tablets and mobile Wi-Fi. Finally it has seen good momentum' in own-brand devices, with a number of new tablets and smartphones recently launched with the aim to bring 4G to a wider demographic."

Swantee said his focus would be on improving customer satisfaction, with Ofcom handing a 1 million fine to the firm in July for failing users.

The company is set to be swallowed by telco BT in a 12.5 billion acquisition currently being reviewed by the Competition and Markets Authority.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will assess the impact of O2 and Three's merger when deciding whether to allow that of BT and EE, it has announced.

The CMA has released a document that looks further into the issues that could arise as a result of BT's 12.5 billion acquisition of EE and a major part of this will look into how the 9.5 billion purchase of Telefnica (O2) by Hutchison Whampoa (Three) has changed the market.

There are fears that allowing both mergers to go ahead could have a big impact on competition in the UK's mobile telecoms landscape, so an assessment is necessary, the CMA said.

"O2 and H3G are major players in the UK telecoms market, [so] we will consider the potential implications of the proposed merger and the European Commission's investigation for the competitive conditions in the UK," the CMA stated in its document.

"The inquiry group of CMA panel members must decide whether if the acquisition is completed a relevant merger situation will be created and, if so, whether the creation of that situation may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition in any market or markets in the UK for goods or services."

The CMA will also look into how mobile services are sold to consumers, how wholesale mobile services are sold to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) such as Virgin and Tesco Mobile and how both deals will change mobile backhaul services that BT currently provides to all UK mobile networks.

Fixed broadband services will additionally come under scrutiny because BT currently offers services to EE and other telecoms companies via its copper and fibre offshoot Openreach.

Ofcom has fined EE 1 million for failing to give customers adequate or accurate information regarding its customer complaints process.

The fine is one of the biggest Ofcom has issued over poor customer service.

The regulator found that between July 2011 and April 2014, the mobile firm misled customers making complaints, by failing to send out written notifications to that referenced customers' rights to take their complaint to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) eight weeks after they first raised their complaint.

Ofcom added that EE also "failed to state in its Customer Complaints Code that, where relevant, customers could access its ADR scheme by requesting a deadlock letter'".

"A number of customers who had requested a deadlock letter' during this time were not sent them as required, and in some cases customers were told by EE that letters of this type were not issued," Ofcom said in a statement.

The firm also neglected to tell customers that they could use its ADR scheme for free.

Claudio Pollack, Ofcom's consumer and content group director, said: "It's vital that customers can access all the information they need when they're pursuing a complaint.

"Ofcom imposes strict rules on how providers must handle complaints and treats any breach of these rules very seriously. The fine imposed against EE takes account of the serious failings that occurred in the company's complaints handling, and the extended period over which these took place."

In a statement, EE said that while it made no excuses, it has "identified issues" in its complaints handling in 2013. "We have made considerable improvements since then," it said.

"Ofcom's current figures highlight that complaints into Ofcom about EE have fallen by 50% in the past year alone and, while even one complaint is one too many, we're working tirelessly not only to improve the handling of complaints but also to identify root causes, and fix problems customers have with us, to ultimately achieve our goal of offering the best service in the market.," the mobile operator added.

Richard Neudegg, regulations expert at uSwitch.com, said that the size of the fine showed how seriously Ofcom was taking failure to follow rules on complaints.

"If telecoms companies don't resolve consumers' issues internally, people have a right to contact one of two free-to-use resolution schemes to get things sorted," he said.

"Access to an Ombudsman is of huge importance. It gives people who feel they've been let down by a service provider another route to resolution."

"Part of the problem is the telecoms market's complaints procedure is more confusing than other sectors. There isn't one single Ombudsman, there are two that companies may direct customers to. So it's extremely important information on how to access these is completely clear."

BT is in the process of buying EE for 12.5 billion, but the merging of the firms may create the worst customer service department in telecoms, according to an Ofcom customer satisfaction survey released in May.

EE was the mobile network with the most complaints for two of the past three quarters in 2014, while BT suffered the most complaints as a TV provider.

For many businesses, communication is the lifeblood of the organisation. Without a means to connect with colleagues, things can quickly grind to a halt.

Mobile communication is key, especially when needed to contact salespeople on the road. Two of the main mobile network operators, EE and O2, have services geared up for business. We breakdown what's on offer.

4G coverage

One of the key focuses of EE is its 4G service. It had a head start on rivals when Ofcom allowed it to use 2G spectrum for 4G services. EE covers 81 per cent of the UK with its LTE service, compared with 66 per cent for O2. (Source: Ofcom)

Data Speeds

EE, like its rivals has undergone a series of tests to determine the average speed of its 4G service. According to this Ofcom report, EE managed average speeds of 18.6Mbps while O2 managed 13.9Mbps. For 3G the tables are turned with EE managing 4Mbps for 3G downloads compared with 6.6Mbps for O2.

Data Allowances

Both EE and O2 offer data allowances of up to 20GB. Neither offer unlimited data plans. The lowest allowance between the two comes from O2 with a plan that offers a paltry 100MB, EE offers 250MB at its minimum.

Reach

EE covers around 200 towns and cities in the UK with its 4G network since its launch in the UK in October 2012. O2 launched its 4G network in the summer of 2013 and now covers 191 towns. Despite this near parity in the number of urban areas covered, O2 clearly covers a low proportion of the British population than EE at 66 per cent of the UK versus 81 per cent respectively.

Plans

If you want a new phone from EE, you will have to commit to a 24-month contract, while SIM-only deals can be bagged for 12-months or a 30-day rolling contract.

O2 also stipulates 24-month contracts for those wanting new phones. However, its O2 Refresh gimmick allows users to upgrade early by splitting the tariff into an Airtime Plan and a Phone Plan. To upgrade, you pay off what's left of the Phone Plan and select a new mobile with a new Phone Plan. O2 also offers SIM-only plans on a 12-month or 30-day rolling basis.

Customer Service

According to Ofcom's Customer Satisfaction Survey, EE achieved an overall score of 69 per cent, while O2 managed a score of 78 per cent. The average mark was 73 per cent.

Other features

EE has a Film Store that offers movies available to watch on demand. It offers customers the chance to buy tickets for England football matches and live music events before the rest of the general public.

O2 has Priority Moments that features exclusive deals for its customers. These include discounts for shops and restaurants. The app also offers access to popular Channel 4 shows 48 hours before they air on TV. It also offers tickets to gigs 48 hours before the general public.

Verdict

While EE arguably has the most extensive 4G network in terms of speed and coverage, O2 has more budget-friendly deals.

A watchdog today agreed to fast-track its antritrust probe into BT's proposed 12.5 billion takeover of EE, warning it could harm competition in the UK.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said there is a "real risk" of the acquisition damaging the rivalry between mobile operators in the UK, and that of fibre operators.

Its decision to move to phase two of its investigation follows BT's original request for the case to be fast-tracked last month, and the CMA admitted third parties have raised "significant competition concerns" with it over the deal.

If BT's acquisition of EE is approved, it will offer a quad-play service comprising pay-TV, landline, mobile and broadband.

Andrea Coscelli, the CMA's executive director of markets and mergers, said: "Together [BT and EE] will have a strong presence in many telecommunications markets.

"They also supply important inputs at the wholesale level, which enable other communications providers to compete at the retail level in the provision of mobile services.

"We have found that there is a real risk that the merger could reduce their incentives to supply these inputs and that this could have a detrimental impact on the retail mobile market."

The CMA added in a statement: "It gives rise to a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition in relation to the supply of wholesale access and call origination services to mobile virtual network operators and fibre mobile backhaul services to mobile network operators in the UK."

Third parties are invited to comment on the takeover during the more in-depth phase two of the investigation, now set to begin following an initial request for comment during phase one.

The next stage will be overseen by a group of independent panel members, said the CMA, and will examine a wide range of issues.

While common in some European countries, BT's quad-play offering would be the first of its kind in the UK.

However, other telcos are following suit, with Three owner, Hutchison, proposing to buy O2 from Telefonica for 10.25 billion.

Vodafone is also understood to be in discussions with Liberty Global over a possible merger, according to The Telegraph.

The CMA's decision to fast-track the proposed acquisition comes after Ofcom decided last month that BT should open up its dark fibre network to rivals.

Such a move would see smaller fibre providers be able to rent leased broadband lines from BT, but use their own equipment, instead of buying compatible hardware from BT, to light' the cables.

This would enable companies renting the lines to create their own tailored, high-capacity data services to compete with BT's.

BT presented its case to the CMA earlier this month, after rumours of the takeover had been circulating for several months. Issues raised by rivals such as Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone, however, point to the possibility that BT and EE combined would exceed the radio spectrum limit imposed by Ofcom.

To avoid this becoming a barrier, it is expected that BT will give up a portion of its spectrum in order to ensure the deal goes through. More 800MHz frequency could then be bought to improve 4G coverage.

Gavin Patterson, chief executive at BT, told The Guardian: "BT's acquisition of EE will be good for consumers, businesses and UK plc, as well as for BT shareholder, so we are keen to regulatory clearance. A larger BT will be able to invest and innovate even more than now, something that's good for jobs and good for customers."

The fast-tracked approval process has been used before when Thomas Cook and the Co-operative Group merged in 2011, and now BT is hoping that it can push things through in the same way.

This article was originally written on 19/05/15 but has been subsequently updated (most recently on 09/06/15) to reflect the latest developments in the story

Over the last few years, as mobile users and businesses have slowly started to demand more and more from their devices at work and for their own personal use, there's been a shift from the previously ubiquitous 3G connectivity to the faster, more reliable, 4G.

Thus far, the UK has been slow off the mark in terms of rolling out the service to everyone, with those Kevin Bacon-fronted adverts our only clue that things were changing for a long while. Now EE has had its sole licence for 4G prised from its hands and all the major networks get to have a go.

This comes after a period of time in which, after having to bid in the government's 4G wireless spectrum auctions for a licence, only EE was given permission to provide 4G services using spare 3G spectrum. Competitors were left lagging behind for almost a year while EE carved out its place in the market with the aforementioned Kevin Bacon ads.

Now, licensees include EE, Hutchinson 3G (Three), Telefonica (O2) and Vodafone. EE, however, still has the largest 4G network due to its head start, but other operators are catching up.

Towards the end of 2014, it was reported that 4G speeds in the UK have halved as more people have signed up for the service. This puts the benefits of 4G into question should the previously significant gap between it and 3G speeds start to close.

Additional studies have, however, also claimed that average speeds for 4G are still around double those provided by 3G. In November, it was revealed that Ofcom was planning to sell-off spectrum used by the Ministry of Defence to boost available bandwidth for 4G networks.

In May 2015, Ofcom released details on plans to auction more spectrum for 4G services. However, availablility would be limited in order to future-proof networks against impending mergers. The regulator has asked potential bidders how they think it should release the 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz spectrum bands.

4G is primed and ready to take over, changing the way we use our devices at work, on the go and at home, so here is our guide to everything you need to know.

How does 4G differ from 3G?

3G, launched back in 2003, has served us well and brought widespread connectivity to everyone and made it possible to be truly mobile as long as you had a phone or tablet at your disposal.

No technology is fault-free, however. The problem with 3G lay in the range of service one could expect from the third generation mobile technology. This could range from around 400Kbps to somewhere near to 4,000Kbps. 3G also has a reputation for being unreliable, with sudden drops in speed and complete outages all too common an occurrence.

There was less consistency than might have been expected and slow data speeds just aren't something most people can accept these days. The tide is changing, with 4G promising to overcome all of the issues we've had with mobile data speeds and coverage.

4G promises internet speeds that are five times faster than was possible with 3G, as well as a significantly reduced likelihood of losing your connection. To put it all into perspective, downloads take just seconds, web pages load instantly and streaming either live TV or services such as Netflix can be done without endless buffering time.

But then there is also more than one kind of 4G available to customers, with standard 4G promising speeds two and a half times faster than Ultrafast 3G and double-speed 4G speeds up to five times faster. Like with 3G before it, there's no particular standard, with what you get seemingly differing from network to network.

Throughout 2014, talk surrounding national roaming plans sparked fears that a 4G rollout would be delayed by up to two years as a result.

Why should businesses be interested?

3G has been increasingly showing its age since businesses began to rely more heavily on phones and tablets for work, whether remotely, in the office or out-of-hours. Employees no longer need to leave their work behind when they exit the door everything is at their fingertips at all times and this increased usage demands high-speed, reliable coverage wherever they go.

4G promises to be the solution, good enough to offer either primary or secondary internet connections for employees not always able to be plugged in at their desks. It would be nice if fast, reliable Wi-Fi was available to us everywhere we go, but that's just not the world we live in. Not right now, anyway.

The rise of BYOD and tablets powerful enough to potentially replace laptops has meant that we're less chained to our desks than ever. 4G wireless broadband keeps businesses connected, with more flexibility and the chance to take advantage of remote working or collaboration between teams spread across different parts of the country or even the world.

The truth is that mobile data usage has been rapidly rising for over a decade, and 4G can be seen as a necessary evolution that finally catches up to the demands of an ever-changing world. Companies in the UK are experimenting not just with the adoption of smartphones and tablets for work use, but also with cloud storage and flexible working, and this requires a boost in connectivity.

Adopting 4G is basically a way to both catch up with current technological advances and future-proof your business at the same time. As 4G becomes more widespread across the UK, firms can switch to more remote working for employees, cloud storage for backing-up documents and files and, as a result, increased productivity.

Are there any downsides to 4G?

While other networks are admittedly catching up quickly, there's still a clear leader in the 4G game EE. With a 10-month lead on the technology, the company has been able to build up its offering to include a range of advantages not even on the others' radar, but it also means that connectivity is still limited. Devices ready for 4G aren't much use if your area does not yet have coverage.

There's also a big issue with security, which is reportedly the main concern amongst consumers still considering whether or not to switch. In February 2014, the MailOnline reported from the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona that, while the majority of phones at the event were being sold with 4G in mind, the improved data speeds come at the price of greater vulnerability.

Leonid Burakovsky, senior director of strategic solutions at F5, says: "What the industry has done with 4G/LTE is taken a self-contained telephone network, secured primarily by virtue of being separate from the internet, and then bolted-on internet capabilities which were never designed to prevent eavesdropping."

The less secure protocol used for 4G means that all manner of sensitive information is essentially left more vulnerable, from passwords to bank details, and this poses a huge problem for businesses interested in utilising the technology.

"The main security problem with 4G networks is that user information can become easily available to hackers via, for instance, man-in-the-middle' attacks, and hackers can compromise new services like mobile health or mobile commerce," Burakovsky continues.

With the technology still relatively young, especially in the UK, networks are under pressure to reassure consumers of 4Gs' safety, especially in a business environment in which the sharing of potentially sensitive information is a part of day-to-day life.

EE

When Orange and T-Mobile merged to create EE (or Everything Everywhere) in October 2010, this heralded the start of the company's plans to make 4G accessible for all, and its rollout of the technology began in earnest in September 2012.

The head start has meant that EE's 4G connectivity is currently available in more than 100 towns and cities across the UK, making it the most widespread and thus the most attractive to early adopters. It also has the most 4G spectrum, with access to 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2.6GHz. This makes it seem like not just the best option for now, but also for the future as the technology evolves.

4G with EE gives users consistently great speeds and good indoor and long-range coverage. It is also the only company offering double-speed 4G LTE, with LTE-A 20 times faster than standard 3G being trialed in London's Tech City.

EE has also promised that 300Mbps 4G could be available in early 2015, with the service first being tested in Tech City and Wembley Stadium.

As of the beginning of January 2015, EE's 4G customer base had reached 7.7 million subscribers in the UK, adding 5.7 million in 2014.

The company has also continued to offer 4G to more areas of the country, investing in rural coverage and dedicating 1.5 billion in the expansion between now and 2017, for which EE has set itself the target of bringing connectivity to more than 99 per cent of the population across 90 per cent of the UK.

In February, BT made a bid to acquire EE for 12.5 billion. The combined group plans to sell a full range of services to its customer base. This could mean better 4G deals for BT Broadband customers.

The acquisition has seen calls by rival operators on BT/EE to give up some of its spectrum as part of the deal. The deal is currently being looked at by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Vodafone

Vodafone and O2 are both hot on the heels of market leaders EE, launching their 4G networks on the same day differing significantly from each other in terms of spectrum and coverage.

Vodafone has the edge, with 2.6GHz offered as well as 800MHz as well as coverage that's almost in line with EE's. Vodafone has also been careful to keep its pricing competitive, with lots of extras such as entry-level tariffs and additional data allowance included in various deals.

The company has also launched Sure Signal Premium for business use, which gives users access to its 4G network to ensure high-speed, reliable connections at all times. This is designed to boost internet in places where Wi-Fi isn't up to scratch, helping businesses to maintain productivity.

As of May 2015, Vodafone had three million 4G users in the UK and covered 71 per cent of the population.

O2

O2's 4G offering is currently quite limited. It has coverage in the majority of big UK cities, but that leaves the rest of the country with huge blind spots, but the relatively low price range keeps it in the game against its competitors.

In order to entice customers away from the presently-superior alternatives, O2 offered seductive deals such as a 27 per month O2 Refresh airtime contract with 5GB of data instead of 3GB if they signed up before the end of February 2014.

There was also the issue of the iPhone 5 having not been compatible with O2's 4G network a significant spanner in the works only overcome by the offer of an early upgrade deal for customers who purchased theirs within a certain time frame.

Last November, it was announced that TalkTalk had signed a deal with O2 to use its network over Vodafone's, expanding its 4G offering to customers.

Currently, more than five million customers of O2 have signed up to a 4G tariff. Around 68 per cent of the country has outdoor 4G coverage from O2, with the network reaching almost 500 UK towns and cities.

Three

Three was the second network to be licensed for 4G after purchasing leftover 3G bandwidth from EE, but the catch was that part of the deal meant they were actually the last of the four to actually launch a 4G service.

Launching with coverage for only four cities, it added 42 more in 2014 and has confirmed another 16 for 2015, carving out a place for its 4G network despite its absence at the start of the race. The biggest draw for consumers, however, is the offer of free 4G for customers - the only network to do so.

In December 2014, the mobile provider announced that a third of its UK customers (3.1 million) were using its 4G service, despite the late start and relatively limited availability (48 per cent of UK).

"The addition of low frequency spectrum is just one part of our plans to expand Three's coverage and bring our network to more people in more places in 2015," said Three's CEO Dave Dyson.

Where is 4G headed next?

Now that all four networks are offering 4G services to their customers, the burning question is where do we go from here?

The first things to happen, as history tells us, is that consumer confidence will rise, prices will drop and the technology will grow over the next couple of years. Previous predictions suggested 4G coverage in the UK would reach 98 per cent by the end of 2014 but, with data usage rising all of the time, will what the networks are offering be enough?

Whether it's streaming a movie from home or taking advantage of 4G at work, the demand is already threatening to overtake the reality. As such, it's easy to imagine a time when users are demanding even faster, more reliable and ever-present internet speeds.

So how long until 5G is introduced? It's taken the better part of a decade for 3G to get an upgrade, but will it take as long for the life-span of 4G to run its course?

When discussing the development of mobile data offerings for the future, Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said: "The demands for mobile data will only increase as millions more wireless devices connect to the internet and each other.

"We're looking at ways to use spectrum more efficiently and consider future releases of prime spectrum. By doing so, we can help to meet the significant demands placed on our wireless infrastructure and develop one of the world's leading digital economies."

The regulator also claimed the new spectrum could raise mobile data capacity by 25 times before 2030. This will likely help to support M2M communications and the development of the Internet of Things.

Several monumental things are happening at once right now, with the shift towards ubiquitous data coverage, the Internet of Things and wearable technology all paving the way for a future that has us more connected to each other and our surroundings than ever before.

Right now, 4G appears to be the answer, giving us much faster data speeds and a widespread internet connection that far outstrips the capabilities of 3G.

EE's head start also gives us a reliable picture of where the other three major mobile companies are headed, while also alerting us to some concerns and limitations that may become much bigger issues down the road.

Security is a big one, with the increased vulnerability a sizeable stumbling block for an otherwise attractive option for businesses looking to improve efficiency and productivity. The rising use of phones and tablets for work, cloud storage and remote working have brought about many privacy concerns, and 4G's capacity to add more could provide a significant barrier to its success for enterprise customers.

Pricing is another factor that is consistently evolving to fit with what is out there, what competitors are offering and what customers are willing to pay. Though EE was in the unique position of being able to charge a premium, the increasingly competitive offerings of Vodafone, O2 and Three make this no longer the case.

Speaking about 4G data plans, research analyst at Parks Associates, Jennifer Kent, said: "Deciphering optimal mobile data pricing schemes is an important piece of operators' monetisation efforts, and many are experimenting with their mobile data pricing plans."

The potential for 4G business use is significant, however, and fits in with many other changes in the enterprise and beyond. 4G might have struggled to gain a foothold in the UK as of yet, but it has the next few years to really prove its worth.

This article was originally published in August 2014, and has been updated numerous times and most recently on 9 June 2015.

BT's return to the mobile market has netted it 50,000 customers within just six weeks of releasing a SIM-only 4G offering, the telco giant confirmed today.

The cheapest of its BT Mobile 4G contracts, geared towards current customers, costs just 5, but currently the company can't offer iPhones or Android smartphones to users.

The growth was revealed as part of BT's latest financial quarter results, released today, and comes as BT awaits regulatory approval for its 12.5 billion acquisition of EE.

Its SIM service piggybacks on EE's existing network, which will soon belong to the British firm.

Paolo Pescatore, director of multiplay and media at analyst house CCS Insight, called the start "strong and encouraging".

He added: "We expect to see a strong marketing push for its mobile service later in the year.

"This will be tied in with the new Premier League season, as consumers look to renew their broadband subscriptions to continue receiving BT Sport for free."

BT is pursuing a quad-play offering, providing broadband, mobile, pay-TV and landline to customers as it seeks to expand, and its purchase of EE prompted further consolidation among telcos and mobile operators.

Three owner Hutchinson is buying O2 for 10.25 billion while Sky is rumoured to be hunting for a network.

Elsewhere on BT's balance sheet, broadband and TV revenues rose 10 per cent, adding 266,000 new Infinity fibre broadband customers and 52,000 new TV customers.

CEO Gavin Patterson said: "It's been a ground-breaking year for BT, in which we've made some key decisions and announced some major investments to underpin the future growth of the business.

"Our superfast broadband network now passes more than three-quarters of the UK and we've announced plans to upgrade to ultrafast. This will be another multi-year investment by Openreach and is the right thing for both BT and the UK, providing even faster speeds in an already competitive market."

Mobile operators have been scrambling to outdo each other on 4G provision ever since EE lost its sole provider status in the summer of 2013.

Even BT has muscled in on the market, launching a super-cheap SIM-only offer geared to current broadband customers back in March.

And take-up has swelled correspondingly, with EE - soon to be taken over by BT - expecting its customer base to grow to 14 million by the end of the year.

Consumers and business users demanding more from their mobile devices are leading the charge and Three, O2 and Vodafone are fighting to match EE's speedy adoption rate.

Two and a half years since the launch of 4G, the question now is whether it can actually provide the improvement everyone's looking for.

Coverage and speeds are both commonly cited issues that have prevented the supposedly superfast network from truly taking over from older technology, like 3G, which continues to be highly used.

IT Pro explores these barriers to examine how they can be overcome.

Speeds

One of the major problems consumers have had with 3G is the unpredictability of service. Speeds easily range from around 400Kbps to 4,000Kbps, and complete outages are all too common a problem.

This can all be a thing of the past, according to 4G advocates, with more consistency and speeds outstripping the best 3G can hope to offer.

Of course, it's not as simple as that, with the networks all promising different contracts with different speeds and data allowances.

The average download speed for 4G fell significantly between spring and winter 2014, according to a recent study from Ofcom, the latest in a list of reports that have indicated that speeds optimistically promised by the various networks are far from what's actually being delivered.

Ofcom concludes this is a result of 4G's increasing popularity, with average speeds dropping from 15.1Mbps to 14.7Mbps between Q2 and Q4.

Average speeds in London remained static, while those in Edinburgh fell by 12 per cent over the six month period.

James Barford, telecoms expert at Enders Analysis, told The Guardian: "When the network becomes shared amongst more users the average is going to decline. The art of network planning is to ensure it doesn't decline too much."

Of the results, EE held onto to its position as having the fastest download speeds (18.6Mbps) across 81 per cent of homes and businesses, while Three lost out with just 8.6Mbps across 53 per cent.

In April, Three revealed that it would be offering VoLTE (voice over LTE) from September, following Vodafone, which is already rolling out the service.

This comes as a result of some 800MHz spectrum purchased in 2013, allowing customers to make calls over 4G and increasing coverage.

On their 4G offering, Three told IT Pro: "We now cover 55 per cent of the population with 4G and 42 per cent of our customer base now access our 4G network on a regular basis.

"We benchmark the performance of our network using direct feedback from customers and measures of customer experience like call success rate, web browsing speed and video loading times."

It claimed its network performs well against these measures, pointing to a YouGov poll claiming Three's the most popular network, while customers can also use their data abroad for no extra charge.

Coverage

The goal, of course, is to make coverage ubiquitous enough to render wired connections completely unnecessary.

This advancement would need to be met by unlimited data allowances and cheaper deals, but it would also make 4G a lot more enticing, especially for businesses.

This, unfortunately, is not yet the case, and huge gaps in coverage mean that 4G has a long way to go before it can be used as anyone's primary means of connecting.

Cloud storage, remote working and an increased reliance on mobile devices for work has made dependable, fast 4G all the more desirable, and now it just has to get good enough to meet those requirements.

Findings from ExpertMarket.co.uk show that regional coverage of 4G suffers in comparison to that in London, which leaves the capital with a significant advantage over businesses based in busy cities such as Bristol, Belfast and Middlesbrough.

Amy Catlow, director at Expert Market, said: "These findings make it clear that phone companies are still favouring London, and many places across the UK are receiving a poor service as a result.

"It is not only troubling for people in terms of business, but must be very frustrating for individual users too, who might find it hard to stream or download while out and about."

In response to the findings, UK CEO at Vodafone, Jereon Hoencamp, said: "It's not about who's got the most coverage. It's more about having the strongest signal.

"We'd love to expand the network faster, but it's about doing it right first time; I'd rather do it at the pace we're doing and get it right, than try to go faster and build a thin and flimsy network.

"You can have a few sites here and there, but that would give you really patchy signal. We only turn 4G on when we have built or updated enough sites."

Improving coverage is a key concern for networks seeking to take the biggest piece of the 4G pie, with a spokesperson for O2 telling IT Pro: "In terms of coverage, our 4G network now covers 450 towns and cities and we currently stand at 54 per cent indoor population coverage."

But the mobile operator, being bought by Three owner Hutchinson for 10.25 billion, admitted a 600 million network investment over 2015 will go towards modernising its 2G and 3G networks, as well as funding its 4G roll out.

"We are committed to achieving our target of 98 per cent UK population coverage (indoor) by the end of 2017 the only operator to have made that commitment to Ofcom," the spokesperson added.

Similarly, a spokesperson for Vodafone said: "Vodafone has now extended its 4G coverage to 491 larger cities, towns and districts as well as thousands of smaller communities across the UK.

"Vodafone plans to provide coverage using 2G, 3G or 4G services to 98 per cent of the UK population. The rollout of 4G services is part of approximately 1 billion Vodafone is spending across its network and services in the UK this year, with a similar amount spent last year."

Pricing

Pricing tends to be where mobile networks separate the most, all seeking to offer the best deals and different combinations of data, calls and texts for the cheapest price.

Those offerings from the four big providers are as follows:

With Vodafone still offering the most expensive service, Gyanee Dewnarain, research VP for networking and communications services at Gartner, levelled this against adoption rates, saying: "From a pricing perspective, Vodafone is currently the most expensive while Three offers the best value for money.

"This has also reflected on customer adoption levels, with Vodafone trailing behind O2 and Three despite strong promotional tactics such as bundling Sky Sports, Spotify and Netflix.

"EE cannot be compared to the others due to its eight-month lead in the market. That said, its position as the European leader with nine million 4G customers is noteworthy."

All of this will result in more aggressive advertising campaigns and deals, Dewnarain predicts, with the market becoming more crowded as demand continues to grow.

What now?

With three of the four biggest UK networks beginning to catch up to EE's significant head start with 4G, the market has become increasingly competitive.

The union of BT and EE, for example, means it will focus on triple-play and quad-play offerings, while others will join them by targeting newly popular devices such as smartwatches and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The main problem facing the technology is that speeds and coverage cannot compete with the user growth, and the amount of people signing up to use 4G has dramatically impacted the quality of service they then receive.

Networks needs to address this, as well as being more honest about what they are offering to customers in the first place.

Speaking about this discrepancy, Dewnarain said: "The theoretical and perceived speeds are always going to be vastly different.

"As a result, even if EE says it's network can achieve theoretical speeds of 150 Mbps with LTE-Advanced technology, in practice, it's not unusual that customers may only experience speeds of 20-30Mbps at best.

"The actual speed experienced depends on the load on the network (how many people are using a tower at the same time); your position within the cell (whether you are closer to the tower or nearer the edge of the cell); the terrain (reflection, refraction from objects in an urban environment) and interference."

Another big question is how long we'll have to wait for 5G to appear, and whether it will take as long to upgrade 4G as it did 3G.

The rise of the IoT certainly suggests that things will need to progress, and fast.

With businesses becoming increasingly reliant on 4G when out of the office - working remotely and while travelling - speed, availability and reliability are becoming more and more important.

Mobile networks in the UK will have to meet that demand if they are to remain in the race.

EE now has 9.3 million 4G customers, expecting to reach 14 million by the end of the year.

The mobile operator's 4G base grew 200 per cent year-on-year, adding 1.7 million new customers in the first three months of 2015.

This news comes after the company demolished last quarter's 4G sign-up target of 6 million, reaching 7.7 million customers at the end of 2014.

EE also believes it'll be able to hit its 14 million goal, claiming that 95 per cent of new customers use its 4G network, and almost 50 per cent use the company's proprietary double-speed 4G.

Similar targets have also been set in other areas. As part of a three-year investment programme, the company will be spending 1.5 billion in order to provide 99 per cent of the population with 4G coverage. This will be building on the company's existing figure of 87 per cent.

Despite a one per cent year-on-year drop in operating revenue to 1.5 billion, the report will likely please prospective owner BT.

The telco is set to buy EE for 12.5 billion, subject to anti-competitive regulatory approval.

EE's expanding customer base will give BT a strong framework to utilise if and when it takes over.

Also highlighted in the report was the trial launch of Europe's fastest 4G, with speeds of up to 400Mbps. The company plans to follow up this development with research into Voice Over 4G, seamless Voice over Wi-Fi and micro-network technology'.

Some EE customers will be given the ability to make calls even when there is no 3G/4G signal in their location as the operator has rolled out Wi-Fi calling for some of its UK users.

Designed to help the millions of people who struggle with maintaining a good connection at home or at work, the service will switch between the two automatically when needed without the user having to do anything.

Olaf Swantee, EE's chief executive, said to the BBC: "We have worked more than a year to make sure that everything works like a normal phone connection. So, the ringtone, the voicemail, the quality of the conversation all of that is exactly the same with our solution.

"I think that's essential as customers don't have the time to figure out whether they should be using an app. They want to simply know the network will switch from one technology to the other without customer intervention."

The service will initially be available to monthly subscribers with Lumia 640 device and Samsung S6 and S6 Edge users from April 10th. The BBC reported EE will subsequently roll out the service to users with the iPhone 5s and later devices. EE stated that by summer of this year, some five million customers will have access to Wi-Fi calling.

To join, these customers simply need to send a text message to EE.

Older models will not be supported due to the absence of some built-in components, but EE will reportedly release a budget smartphone to compensate for this.

The announcement comes in the face of similar services being introduced by EE's rivals such as Vodafone, O2 (Tu Go) and Three (Three inTouch), indicating that a demand definitely exists.

"One of the complained about factors with mobile phones is just making a voice call, and perhaps an approach of getting the fundamental of connectivity right can act as a differentiator for the firm," added CCS Insight's Kester Mann. "Vodafone will also be launching a similar Wi-Fi calling service in the summer."

EE was an early entrant into the 4G market, and has benefitted for this foresight. In January 2015, it hit 7.7 million 4G users, beating the 12-month target of 6 million. This week, the operator topped mobile network data speeds at Gatwick and Heathrow airports.

EE has topped mobile network data speeds at both Gatwick and Heathrow airports, also appearing in the number one spot for reliability, according to tests by RootMetrics.

At Gatwick, the network obtained an all-round score of 97.2 with an upload speed of 17.85Mbps and downloads at 20.40Mbps.

Vodafone came second with an overall score of 86.5, although its speeds were considerably slower - 0.94Mbps for upload and 5.68Mbps for download. Both Three and O2 achieved 1.57Mbps upload speeds, while downloads were measured as 3.2Mbps and 2.4Mbps respectively. However, Three's overall score was higher - 80.5 versus O2's 74.

At Heathrow, scores were more similar. EE's score was pretty consistent and far ahead of rivals, at 96.7 thanks to its 18.06Mbps upload and 31.22Mbps download speeds, but Vodafone's dropped to 84.6 with uploads at 2.05Mbps and download speeds of 3.30Mbps, while Three and O2's both increased to a just over 84 because they achieved faster upload and download speeds compared to the Gatwick Airport location.

The report said: "The core components are reliability and speed. These two factors have the greatest impact on your mobile experience. At each airport, we measure how reliably and quickly each network is able to download and upload data, perform email tasks, and handle files that represent elements of a webpage or app, among others."

RootMetrics' mobile performance tests have been carried out in 56 metropolitan areas in the US, seven metros in the UK, and 20 airports in the US this year already. By the second half of this year, it plans to have tested mobile networks at 125 US metros and 16 UK stations, 50 US airports and three UK airports, 50 US states and the whole of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

BT announced its return to the mobile market this week, a year after leaving the launching a range of 4G subscriptions and threatening to shake up the market with super-cheap prices.

It comes after the telco giant announced its 12.5 billion acquisition of EE, which is now being scrutinised by Ofcom.

If passed, the former nationally-owned company will have an unprecedented 31 per cent share of UK mobile customers following the merger.

The cheapest of the telco giant's SIM-only 4G subscription offerings will be priced at just 5 a month for existing BT broadband customers, and the company promises consumers that they could save around half of what they currently pay for their mobile service.

The question of whether BT's offering will pose a significant threat to other providers or provide more competition remains open, but it does look set to shake up the mobile market.

BT was first a mobile player in 1985, when it launched what's now known as O2 in a joint venture with Securicor.

Subsequently renamed BT Cellnet, BT then spun off the service, before it was bought by Telefonica in 2005, which rebranded it O2.

After much speculation, BT snapped up EE rather than O2, and the move appears far less of a risk than before.

Where BT was once a pioneer in the mobile market, its renewed efforts in the mobile space are set to shift it once again, with the acquisition giving it multi-plat status: landline, broadband, pay-TV and now mobile.

Paolo Pescatore, director of multiplay and media at CCS Insight, believes BT's actions will spark sharp change in the UK market.

"BT has made the right decision to offer a range of simple and transparent packages as part of its return to the consumer mobile market," he says.

"The tariffs are spot on and it lays down the gauntlet to other multiplay providers in the UK."

Speaking to IT Pro about the state of mobile in the UK, Professor Simon Saunders, director of technology at Real Wireless, points out the shift in offerings from the country's providers.

"There's been pretty major movement of the tectonic plates of both the mobile and the fixed markets for the UK," he says. "We've had substantial movement over the last couple of years, with first the consolidation of T-Mobile and Orange into EE, and then the spectrum auction, which substantially changed the position of the different players going into 4G.

"With this change we're seeing something very interesting in a way I think it's fair to say that the idea of a mobile-only operator, certainly in a UK context, is pretty much dead, and the idea that we separate mobile operators and fixed line operators into two different brackets needs essential revision."

Clive Longbottom, analyst at Quocirca, agrees saying the UK is now in a post-quad-play' environment in which companies need to offer landline, broadband, mobile and television in order to remain at all competitive in the market.

BT, of course, has now completed the set with its move into mobile.

"[BT's] new foray into the market will allow it to be a true quad player," Longbottom says. "However, this, on its own, will not be enough Virgin and Sky will also be there and loyalty is ephemeral in the market.

"What BT needs to do is to go past the quad-play thought process, instead going for a unified play. By pulling everything together and layering other services on top of ubiquitous connectivity, it makes its customers far more sticky which is what the financial markets are looking for."

Quad-play offerings are far more prevalent in Europe than the UK, but BT's move is changing this, forcing providers to expand their offerings to customers.

Three looks likely to buy BT's spurned offspring, O2, for 10.25 billion, while rumours have it Sky is wheeling out its shopping trolley, too.

But BT's buy-out of EE will also affect rival providers in other ways, with Ofcom inviting competitors to voice their concerns before delivering a final verdict.

"I don't think any fixed player can be credible these days without a mobility offering," Saunders adds.

"By this move, BT/EE ends up in a very strong position with more customers than anybody else, with a bigger fixed network, with more sites and with more spectrum collectively. So very clearly they're in a position to offer impressive coverage and impressive capacity to their impressive numbers of customers."

For BT's rivals, it could be worrisome, despite the telco's claims that consumers will end up getting wider choice and better deals out of the acquisition.

This, however, may not actually be the case, with "sufficient competition" cited by Ofcom as a major necessity in the market.

There's also the issue of customer share, with BT and EE together holding a large portion of the broadband market combined. In 2014, Ofcom stats show BT had 31 per cent with EE holding on to three per cent, while in second position Virgin Media only had 20 per cent of UK customers signed up.

In addition to this, CCS Insight estimates that eight in 10 UK households will be signed up to a multiplay bundle package by 2019, with the market moving rapidly into quad-play as standard.

"What we've seen in the mergers that have happened in the mobile market across Europe over the last several years is that, by and large, the mergers have gone through," Saunders adds.

"But there have tended to be some strings attached and those strings have gotten progressively more tangled with each successive merger or takeover."

There are many areas Ofcom must look at to tackle this, he says, including access to sites, share of spectrum and access to the host network at a good wholesale rate.

"Other mergers have led to parties having to divest themselves of spectrum, so that other people can get involved... I'd expect for the competition authorities to be thinking about that whole range of potential competition remedies, and a few more elaborate ones besides."

BT's return to the mobile market, bolstered by the EE merger, means a lot of things for competitors and customers - however, there are also a lot of potential issues that need to be addressed.

Over the coming months, telcos and mobile carriers will squabble over broadband access, BT's dominance of the market and plenty of other issues.

But one sure thing is that a quad-play offering is fast becoming a requirement for all providers, and BT's EE purchase is the preamble to a scramble to consolidate: mobile operators want to be bought, and telcos will be looking for the most suitable acquisitions.

Three network owner Hutchinson Whampoa has today agreed "definitive terms" to purchase the O2 mobile network. The completed deal will, subject to approval, see Spanish owners Telefonica recieve around 10.25bn for the sale of their UK mobile arm.

The deal comes hot on the heels of a similar 12.5bn merger between BT and EE. This agreement is also undergoing review, as market watchdogs fear that giving BT such a large amount of resources would result in a lack of competition.

However, the announcement of Hutchinson Whampoa's purchase of O2 is likely to tip the scales in BT's favour, by ensuring that there will still be other providers on BT's scale if the purchase goes through. The result of both mergers being successful would be a total of three UK networks, with Vodafone being the only non-consolidated provider.

The deal follows the purchase of O2 assets by Three's parent company in Ireland, which now seems like a test-bed for further takeover. The companies' combined base of existing customers would total over 30m customers if approved, which dwarfs BT's projected 24.5m.

With two major telecom power blocs about to be formed, attention has now shifted to the Competition and Markets Authority. Responsible for preventing industry-wide monopolies, the CMA is now tasked with deciding whether these deals will still allow for fair and open trading.

Mark Collins, CityFibre's director of strategy and public affairs, thinks that Three's deal is a boon for the marketplace, saying that "consolidation is the only way to combat BT's ever-growing monopoly over both the retail and wholesale telecoms sectors".

According to Ovum analyst Matthew Howett, while it's currently unknown what Hutchinson and BT might sacrifice "in an attempt to get things through", there are some likely concessions. Currently tipped to be the focus of any trade-offs are "mobile backhaul, spectrum holdings, and the current network sharing agreements".

BT today returned to the mobile market, a decade after abandoning its first effort at dominating the space.

The telco giant is launching three different 4G subscriptions, with the cheapest service priced at just 5 a month for its broadband customers.

All three BT Mobile offerings are SIM-only, and the firm claims existing broadband customers can save 50 per cent on their mobile bills compared to others.

Each account holder can register up to five discounted SIMs, to a total of 10 per household.

The 5 per month offering provides users with 500MB of data and 200 minutes, a 12 subscription offers 2GB of data and 500 minutes, and a 20 contract gives customers 20GB of data and unlimited minutes.

The subscriptions all offer unlimited texts, and will piggyback on EE's 4G network after BT announced its intention to buy out the mobile operator for 12.5 billion.

John Petter, chief executive of BT Consumer, said: "Offering BT customers the UK's best value 4G data deal is a great way to start our journey towards re-establishing ourselves as a major player in consumer mobile."

Ovum analyst Steven Hartley said the BT Mobile subscriptions are "aggressively priced", but warned the SIM-only nature of the offerings, largely targeting existing customers, limits the available market.

"Given that most 4G handsets in circulation today are still under contract this reduces the pool of potential customers," he added.

"BT will offer handsets, but these are limited to just four options and do not include hero' devices such as the iPhone or Samsung S6."

However, Paolo Pescatore, director of multiplay and media at CCS Insight, claimed the subscriptions present a game-changing addition to the UK's mobile space.

He said: "BT has made the right decision to offer a range of simple and transparent packages as part of its return to the consumer mobile market.

"The tariffs are spot on and it lays down the gauntlet to other multiplay providers in the UK."

BT's return to the mobile space comes 30 years after it first created what is now known as O2 in a joint venture with Securicor back in 1985.

In 1999, it bought out Securicor'sshareand re-branded the service as BT Cellnet. Then, in 2002, the mobile arm of the business was spun-off and given the moniker mmO2.

Telefonica then acquired the network from BT in 2005, re-branding as O2.

Multiplay

The EE takeover deal is expected to be finalised by the end of this year, and a UK watchdoglast week requested BT's rivals to pipe up with any concerns they might have over the deal.

A letter to telcos and media firms from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), seen by theFinancial Times, says it will take those concerns into account when examining the acquisition.

If BT's EE merger goes ahead, BT will take a 31 per cent share of mobile subscribers in the UK and 35 per cent of broadband subscribers. BT claimsboth firms' customers stand to benefit from the deal by gaining twin access to the UK's biggest fibre and 4Gnetworks.

BT Mobile can be seen as the first step the telco is taking to muscle in on the mobile market, and positions BT as a quad-player, offering pay-TV, broadband, landline and now mobile.

CCS Insight's Pescatore said: "It is important to note that this is the first of many steps for the company as BT looks to gain a stronger foothold in the consumer mobile and multiplay markets, including its proposed acquisition of EE."

He believes it will put pressure on other broadband providers like Sky to come up with a mobile offering, prompting more consolidation in the UK communications field.

By CCS Insight's estimates, eight in 10 UK households will sign up to a multiplay service bundle by 2019.

Ovum's Hartley agreed, adding: "The UK is moving to a quad-play market and rivals will need to respond."

But he said BT Mobile offerings could be undermined by the fact that existing broadband customers already have BT Sport access, making the inclusion of free BT Sport less valuable.

"Furthermore, the BT Sport content consumed on the mobile network is counted against the user's data allowance," he added.

"Therefore, much is made of BT's Wi-Fi network as an alternative, somewhat undermining the value of the content."

EE, Three, O2, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone have all entered into a voluntary agreement that will see bills capped for mobile phones that the owner has reported stolen.

Bills incurred while a phone is lost will be capped at 100 following the agreement, and will apply to around 27 million monthly subscribers who have reported their device missing within 24 hours.

Ed Vaizey, digital economy minister, said in a statement: "By working with the mobile operators, we have secured an agreement that will provide consumers with real benefits as well as offer peace of mind."

Around 300,000 mobile phones are reported stolen in the UK every year, according to the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit.

"This agreement demonstrates our continued commitment to deliver usage safeguards and advice to our customers... This new cap builds on the safety and security advice we already give to customers and should provide additional peace of mind if their phone goes missing," an O2 spokesperson added.

Details for individual carriers were revealed with a statement issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). While Three has already introduced the scheme, EE will follow in "the coming weeks", Virgin Mobile in July and O2 in September. Vodafone will be the last to introduce the cap, with plans to start offering it to customers sometime this summer.

Annie Brooks, director of Virgin Mobile, said: "This cross-industry agreement simplifies things for consumers by making the treatment of fraudulent use of lost or stolen phones consistent. It remains vital that people report their phone is lost or stolen as soon as possible.

The move is part of the new Code of Practice being introduced in an effort to protect consumers from huge bills incurred for reasons such as out of bundles charges, roaming, premium rate services and in-app purchases. Providers must therefore offer more clear and transparent information.

"This announcement is a major new protection for customer and is in line with the industry's longstanding commitment to help our customers protect their mobile and its contents," said Hamish MacLeod, chair of the Mobile Broadband Group.

Orange Wednesdays are no more, but you can still get two-for-one cinema tickets if you're a Comparethemarket.com customer.

EE pulled the plug on its weekly Wednesday movie offering in February after running it for 12 years, but the meerkat-marketed comparison website has stepped in to fill the void.

Now if you use Comparethemarket.com to do anything from changing energy suppliers to switching broadband providers, you get a year's worth of weekly two-for-one cinema tickets valid on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

However, you'll need to have bought something via the price comparison site each year to renew your free cinema ticket allocation.

The firm's statement on the Meerkat Movies venture read: "If you are one of our existing customers you have been given automatic access to MEERKAT MOVIES for the remaining duration of your policy, from today.

"If you have bought a qualifying product in the last twelve months with comparethemarket.com you could be taking advantage of your 2 for 1 cinema tickets every Tuesday or Wednesday straight away."

The initiative will be rolled out nationwide from April 3, though take-up sounds like it could prove more complicated than signing up to a single phone provider for a two-year contract.

EE announced its plans to kill off Orange Wednesdays last December, telling IT Pro it was changing the deal in response to more film services being available online.

It said at the time: "After 10 great years our brand has changed and our customers' viewing habits have also evolved so it's time to move on."

Its replacement offering, called EE Film Club, offers a weekly movie rental from streaming site Wukai.tv for 1 (and a 35p text) every week.

Ofcom wants to drop the spectrum licence fees mobile phone networks pay to deliver their services , which could see network operators paying up to 10 per cent less to the government than previously planned.

The regulator said it would launch another consultation into how to change the charges for companies using 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum, taking into account the coverage agreement the networks signed with the government to boost rural connections.

Although EE and 3 only use the 1800MHz band, while Vodafone and O2 hold licences for both the 900MHz and 1800MHz one, EE has expressed disappointment at the plans.

"While we fully support the government's work to get more coverage to more parts of UK, we're disappointed to see that Ofcom's current proposal fails to recognise the obvious costs associated with doing this, and note this could risk future network investment if not properly addressed. We'll examine the consultation more closely and respond in due course," the company said in a statement.

Ofcom has been pushing to launch such a consultation since the 4G auction in February 2013. In August it announced the fees networks pay would be increased substantially, but this has now been reduced to 223 million per year - around 10 per cent lower than previously proposed.

The regulator said in the statement the the price drop was "a reduction in the discount rate that Ofcom considers to be appropriate when converting a lump-sum value' (of the type paid by licensees when they acquire a licence in an auction) into an equivalent annual payment", and a "reduction in the assessment of the market value of the 1800 MHz band (expressed as a lump-sum value)."

While BT's bid to acquire EE continues, the mobile operator has reinforced its commitment to ongoing investment in the UK's 4G network infrastructure.

In a strategy document, entitled Signalling the Future, the company sets out plans to invest 1.5 billion between now and 2017 in ensuring the UK's appetite for network capacity is met.

As part of this, EE said it's set itself a target to deliver 4G connectivity to more than 99 per cent of the population and across 90 per cent of the UK by 2017.

In the report, Olaf Swantee, EE's CEO, said the aim is to ensure every UK home can benefit from mobile coverage, with particular emphasis on those living in rural areas.

"Alongside every home, we will continue our focus on roads and rails and parts of the country that people spend their daily lives.

"Around 500m of the total spend will be focused on improving rural coverage in the hard-to-reach parts of the UK that are asking for our help and to which we've not previously been able to deliver the mobile experience they deserve," he said.

In part, this investment is being spurred on by the increasing use of smart devices within UK households, he added, as well as EE's commitment to ensuring the country is positioned at the "forefront of the new mobile era."

To help boost mobile connectivity in rural areas, EE is proposing the use of Micro Network technology that, it claims, will make it possible for residents of 1,500 communities without access to reliable mobile service to make calls and use mobile data services.

It's also planning to deploy a low frequency 800 MHz spectrum to improve access to mobile services to rural areas covering 1,500 square miles.

Andy Sutton, principal network architect at EE, said this work will pave the way for UK-wide adotion of 5G technologies later down the line.

"We've invested in 4G and taken the UK back to a position of leadership in mobile, and now we're investing in 5G so that we can define the next step, and keep both us and the UK mobile industry one step ahead.

"Working closely with academic institutions such as the 5GIC at the University of Surrey and the EU's Horizon 2020 TWEETHER' project at Lancaster University on technologies that are truly ground-breaking, EE will continue to change the way people think of what's possible with mobile.

"We will continue to evolve new 4G technologies, as they lay the perfect foundation for being a global leader in 5G," Sutton added.

A woman received a phone bill for 1,200 from EE after her Samsung smartphone converted any texts featuring emoticons to picture messages.

Hairdresser Paula Cochrane said she was charged 40p for each text message, despite being on an unlimited text plan costing 30.99 per month. When she complained, EE offered to cut the bill by 100, leaving the 48-year-old 'raging'.

When she looked into her bills from the last two months, she discovered her combined statements for December and January totalled more than 900, while her February totted up to 150 just from a few days.

Cochrane told The Daily Record: "Even the staff at my local EE shop were shocked when I told them. They knew nothing about it. Do EE really think I'd run up these bills if I knew the cost? It's daylight robbery.

"I feel violated that EE have withdrawn more than 1,000 from my account for a 30.99-a-month contract. It's totally unacceptable."

The problem has been reported by other users of Samsung devices including the Galaxy S1, S2, S3 and S4, as well as the Galaxy Note 1, 2, 3 and Galaxy Ace.

An EE spokesman told MailOnline: "There are a number of factors which can affect whether customers are charged for sending an emoji usually by the settings on the handset and so is a manufacturer rather than a network issue. EE has a help section on the website which details instances where an SMS may convert into MMS."

Apple, HTC, Nokia and Sony all told the website their devices would not convert emoticons into picture messages, so customers using handsets by the manufacturers would not suffer with the same issue.

Inside the enterprise: Twelve years ago, when executives at BT decided to spin-off O2, it probably seemed like a good idea to exit the mobile phone business.

The cost of building 3G networks was rising rapidly, and back then BT had other priorities, including building its fixed-line, broadband infrastructure. Mobile "convergence" as we now know it, let alone true mobile data, and the app economy, was still some way off.

Fast forward twelve and a bit years, and BT is back in the mobile game. Rather than buying back O2, now owned by Spain's Telefonica, BT is instead buying EE, the UK's largest mobile operator.

Subject to the usual shareholder and regulatory approvals, BT will pay 12.5bn for EE, the mobile network that is, itself, the result of a merger between Orange and the UK arm of T-Mobile. As part of the deal, Deutsche Telekom T-Mobile's parent will have a 12 per cent share of BT and a seat on its board. Orange will take four per cent of BT shares, as well as cash.

BT hopes it can tie together EE's mobile network which leads rivals O2, Vodafone and Three in the roll-out of 4G with its own fibre infrastructure. Done well, this could certainly provide a powerful package of services for voice and data.

Whether 12.5bn is a good deal or not is a question for BT's shareholders, although in 2005, Telefonica paid 18bn for O2. There is also the question of regulatory approval.

Although BT says it will bring cost savings through synergies between its fixed-line and EE's mobile operations and expects to save 360m a year inevitably, competitors will want to scrutinise the deal and especially, whether EE will receive preferential treatment when it comes to access to the BT fixed-line network.

Other concerns centre on how the deal will affect competition for both broadband and mobile services in the UK. EE is a significant, although smaller, player in the home broadband market, with 745,000 subscribers as of the first quarter of 2014, according to Choice.co.uk (BT, by contrast, had 7.28m subscribers in the same period). BT, for its part, operates BT Mobile, a business-focused MVNO that already runs on the EE network.

Taking these players out of the market will affect consumer choice. But enterprises are more likely to worry about the deal's impact on negotiated, corporate contracts that include both mobile and fixed services. It is here where BT and EE were significant competitors, and where the deal is most likely to affect rivals, especially Vodafone.

"From a network side [this deal has] the potential of bringing the leading backhaul, fixed network and 4G supplier under a single roof," says Nicholas McQuire, vice president of enterprise at CCS Insight.

"Between EE and BT there is proven innovation with cloud services, IP communications, fixed mobile convergence, 4G services and mobile solutions to enterprises, which added together far exceeds the competition." The combination, McQuire says, will be attractive to SMEs and enterprises wanting more from their telecoms.

"But, it will take time for the integrated businesses to materialise in terms of decent offerings. CIOs should certainly pay close attention to developments and question their existing suppliers how they intend to respond to the merger."

CIOs will also want to see competition safeguards put in place. But they should also start to look now at areas where their BT and EE services overlap, and where they currently provide vital redundancy. The EE deal won't be final until at least the end of this year, but it's not too soon to start reviewing telecoms services.

Stephen Pritchard is a contributing editor at IT Pro.

BT is to acquire rival network operator EE for 12.5 billion, after several weeks of exclusive negotiations between the pair.

The British telco has signed a definitive agreement to acquire EE, which will see it take over control of its 31 million-strong customer base, and its 834,000 fixed broadband customers.

It will also pave the way for BT to establish itself as a major player in the quad-play market, as it will now be in a position to offer customers access to mobile, broadband, TV and landline packages.

This is a position more and more telcos are making moves to get in, as users prefer the convenience of dealing with one provider for these different utilities.

It's also proving a lucrative area for providers to get into, with TalkTalk recently citing its decision to offer quad-play packages as the driving force behind the firm chalking up its strongest ever quarter of growth.

The mooted 12.5 billion would be paid on a debt/cash-free basis as a mixture of cash and shares to EE's owners Deutsche Telekom and Orange.

Deutsche Telekom is set to acquire a 12 per cent share in BT as a result of the deal, and would be granted permission to appoint one member to the BT board of directors.

Orange, meanwhile, would be gifted a four per cent share in BT.

Gavin Patterson, chief executive of BT, said both firms' customers stand to benefit from the deal by gaining twin access to the UK's biggest fibre and 4G networks.

"Consumers and businesses will benefit from new products and services, as well as from increased investment and innovation.

"The deal provides an attractive opportunity for BT to generate considerable value for shareholders, with significant operating and capital investment efficiencies supported by our tried and tested cost transformation activities," she said.

"The enlarged BT will offer significant opportunities for employees as we lead the creation of a world-class digital infrastructure for Britain."

Olaf Swantee, chief executive of EE, said joining forces with BT should ensure the UK remains "at the forefront of the mobile revolution", and bring huge innovation benefits.

"Joining BT represents an exciting next stage for our company, customers, and people. In the last few years alone, we have built the UK's biggest, fastest and best 4G network, significantly advancing the digital communications infrastructure for people and businesses across Britain."

The deal is expected to close before the end of BT's 2015/2016 financial year.

BT to buy EE: The story so far

BT was given several weeks to perform the necessary due diligence before deciding whether or not to embark on a definitive acquisition agreement with EE in mid-December.

As reported by IT Pro at the time, BT was expected to confirm whether or not it will purchase O2 or EE on 15 December, as rumours emerged about its plans to take over one of the network operators for a rumoured 10 billion.

News of a possible deal between between Telefonica and BT, which would see the latter buy back the O2 mobile business from the Spanish firm, was first mooted at the end of November.

In a statement at the time, BT confirmed the two were in communication and said, "all discussions are at a highly preliminary stage and there can be no certainty that any transaction will occur".

"We have received expressions of interest from shareholders in two UK mobile network operators, of which one is O2, about a possible transaction in which BT would acquire their UK mobile business," the statement added.

It later emerged the second network operator referred to in the BT statement was EE, which was formed more than four years ago through the merger of Orange and T-Mobile.

Regulatory approval

However, before the deal can go ahead, it will need to be approved by regulators and BT's shareholders, but this isn't expected to cause too much of a hold-up.

Gartner research director Charlotte Patrick told IT Pro the "EU sound like they are coming around to the idea" of general consolidation in the global telecoms market, which would pave the way nicely for a merger.

She added that any possible deal between BT and EE "would mirror the sort of configuration that you have in other European countries already".

This story was originally published on 25 November, but has since been updated - most recently on 05/02/2015 - to reflect ongoing developments.

EE will issue refunds worth 1 million to a small number of customers who overpaid VAT on international data charges.

The money reportedly went straight to HRMC rather than being given to EE and the network told the BBC that it wasn't the company's fault, but down to an administrative error.

EE spokesman David Nieberg said: "Due to a configuration error in our billing system, made following a system change, a small number of customers were wrongly charged VAT on the Data Roaming bundle outside of Europe.

"This was a mistake, and we are now refunding these charges and contacting affected customers to apologise for the error."

EE said it has now recouped the money from HMRC and will issue refunds of between 2 to 80 per incorrectly billed customer, which only represents 0.5 per cent of all EE's 28 million customers.

The refunds will be applied directly to the bills of affected customers rather than into bank accounts and each of the customers will be advised of the mistake by text message.

The VAT was collected from customers who used data while roaming outside of the EU between October 2012 and October 2014.

EE said the problem was flagged by one of its customers and acted immediately. Any old EE customers who used data outside of the EU who believe they may have been charged are being told to contact EE's customer service department to organise a refund.

EE's 4G network now covers 7.7 million in the UK, although news broke at the end of last year that the company may be acquired by BT for 12.5 billion later this year.

Three more UK internet service providers (ISPs) have shown their support for Net Neutrality plans by signing the Broadband Stakeholder Group's (BSG) voluntary code, it has been revealed.

EE, Virgin Media and Vodafone were the last hold outs following BT, BSkyB, KCOM, giffgaff, O2, Plusnet, TalkTalk, Tesco Mobile and Three all signing the Code of Practice in support of the Open Internet. As a result, all of the UK's leading ISPs have now backed Net Neutrality.

Matthew Evans, BSG CEO, said: "Unlike some countries where net neutrality has become a controversial topic for discussion, the UK benefits from a fiercely competitive market and high levels of transparency which together offer the best assurance of an Open Internet.

"The Code now provides an even stronger and more effective foundation, whilst also allowing for an environment where new business models for internet-based services which benefit consumer choice can thrive."

The code was first launched in 2012 by the BSG and, by signing, the ISPs are agreeing to conditions that include ensuring users can access all legal content, not discriminating against content providers for commercial reasons and remaining transparent about traffic management policies.

"The Code usefully supports open access to the internet and builds on previous commitments by ISPs to provide transparent information to consumers about their traffic management policies," Chair of the Communications Consumer Panel, Jo Connell, added.

"We are delighted that EE, Virgin and Vodafone have now agreed to become signatories. The Code has gained significant interest internationally as a positive example of industry responding to a developing consumer need."

EE continues to reap the benefits of early 4G deployment, with the operator smashing the 4G sign-up target it set for 2014.

The network added 5.7 million new 4G customers to its network in 2014 and now has a total of 7.7 million 4G users. EE started 2014 with 2 million, and beat its 12-month customer sign-up target of six million.

The mobile operator said 1.7 million of these customers joined the firm in the last two months, suggesting the run-up to Christmas a time when people often get bought new smartphones may have given it a boost.

The past 12 months has seen a number of EE's competitors including Vodafone, Three and O2 step up their 4G deployment efforts. Despite this, the company claims to have signed up more new customers to its 4G plans than any other operator in 2014.

Speaking to IT Pro, John Delaney, associate vice president of mobility at analyst house IDC, said EE's success to date can be largely attributed to the year-long head start it had over its rivals to launch its 4G network.

As reported by IT Pro at the time, Ofcom gave EE permission in August 2012 to re-use its 1800 MHz spectrum to provide 4G services across the UK, while the likes of Vodafone, O2 and Three had to await the outcome of the regulator's spectrum auction.

As a result, EE was able to press ahead with the launch of its network in September 2012, while O2 and Vodafone had to wait until August 2013.

"That head start is probably the most important reason why EE is ahead of its competitors today," said Delaney.

"In the early stages of a mobile generation rollout, one of the key differentiators is coverage and EE had a year's head start to build that [out] before its competitors even got off the starting block... and it's very difficult to close that kind of gap quickly."

The number of towns and cities in the UK that could access its 4G network also increased over the course of 2014, which would have undoubtedly helped increase the number of people using it.

In total, EE made its 4G network available to 350 more towns and cities last year, meaning its services can now be accessed by users residing in 510 UK locations.

As such, the company said its network is now within reach to around 80 per cent of the population and that this figure is on target to hit 98 per cent by the end of 2015.

Its 4G service is also available in 3,894 villages and small towns, providing many of these rural and remote areas with access to superfast broadband for the first time.

As a result of all this adoption, six times more 4G data was used by the firm's customers in 2014 than the previous year, with EE crediting user appetites for sharing photos and videos on social media sites and streaming content from the likes of YouTube and Netflix.

The price is right

Along with its coverage, EE's pricing strategy has also stood the firm in good stead over the past 12 months.

"They've been very clever on their pricing strategy, as they've come out with a constant series of innovations in that area. They didn't have pre-paid price plans to begin with, but they brought that in along with shared device plans," Delaney added.

"And the other thing they did from day one was all their 4g plans had unlimited voice and text. That immediately angles it towards the higher paying customers."

The UK's mobile operators have agreed not to go forward with national roaming plans, investing 5 billion to improve coverage in rural areas across the country currently marred by weak signal.

The introduction of national roaming laws in the UK had been proposed by the government to help eradicate the mobile notspots' that reportedly affect a fifth of the country's population.

EE, O2, Vodafone and Three have all agreed to the plans, which will see them offer better coverage to 90 per cent of the country by 2017. This will effectively halve the number of UK residents who currently experience bad signal in their area.

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid had proposed four solutions to the issue. These included national roaming, in which phones would connect to any available network when out of range of their own, as well as infrastructure sharing, reforming virtual networks and coverage obligation.

Javid said in a statement: "Too many parts of the UK regularly suffer from poor mobile coverage leaving them unable to make calls or send texts.

"Government and businesses have been clear about the importance of mobile connectivity, and improved coverage, so this legally binding agreement will give the UK the world-class mobile phone coverage it needs and deserves."

Ofcom will reportedly monitor progress of the agreement and the communications regulator may take the extra money being invested into account when deciding future licence fees.

The government previously opened the matter up to response from the industry, businesses and the public until 26 November, when a final decision had to be made.

But the UK's biggest providers didn't greet the proposals enthusiastically, citing various issues the move could bring to both their businesses and their customers.

A spokesperson from O2, who claimed that the company is spending 1.5 million per day on improving 2G, 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi connectivity, told IT Pro: "We have made our concerns over the national roaming proposals very clear and have advised the government on a range of alternative solutions to achieve the same ambition, some of which we have already embarked upon."

"National roaming is a regulatory solution that will worsen the experience people have when using their phones and undermine future investment in mobile infrastructure in the UK," they added.

A report from OpenSignal into 3G and 4G connectivity around the UK found that, though London was best for both, 4G speeds had almost halved since more users signed up for the high-speed service from their network. Three was found to have the slowest 4G coverage, while EE had the best.

Dubbing national roaming a "flawed concept" that will "deteriorate network reliability for tens of millions across the UK," a spokesperson for EE told IT Pro: "We're keenly aware there are some parts of the UK where customers still can't get adequate signal levels and, while we're already working on some significant nationwide coverage improvement plans, we also need government to work more closely with the industry to remove the barriers to efficiently building more signal in more places."

Mobile operators and the government first entered talks on how to resolve the problem of notspots in the country's rural areas in June, though no formal agreement has been reached.

Vodafone is reported to have been opposed to the national roaming plans for some time.

"As Vodafone and the other UK mobile operators have told the government directly on a number of occasions, national roaming will not provide the people of the UK with better quality voice and mobile internet coverage," the company said in a statement.

"In fact, it would make coverage and quality significantly worse from the customers' perspective, with a much higher risk of dropped calls, lower battery life and negative impact on services such as voicemail."

There is concern among operators that a move towards national roaming could discourage general infrastructure improvements and drive up costs for users.

Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch, said of the proposal: "It's encouraging that mobile blackspots are firmly on the political agenda. In this day and age, mobile signal or the lack of it really shouldn't be an issue, whether you live in the middle of the city or the middle of nowhere.

"Allowing networks to ride on the coat tails of others would remove any incentive for underperforming networks to invest in improving their existing infrastructure... Bills could rise yet again if some mobile networks try to recoup the losses through their customers."

Meanwhile, when asked for a statement regarding the national roaming plans, a spokesperson for Three simply said, "We're reviewing the consultation document."

Ofcom has released a customer service report, looking at how well the top UK mobile networks deal with customers and complaints.

The research, which asked 3,402 consumers about the service provided by networks, found EE's service was the worst, despite the company having more customers than any other UK network.

It scored just 69 per cent on customer satisfaction, compared to the average across all providers of 73 per cent. O2 led the pack, with a satisfaction score of 78 per cent, while Virgin Mobile scored 76 per cent, Vodafone 71 per cent and Three 70 per cent.

Ofcom's Consumer and Content Group Director Claudio Pollack said: "When a customer needs to contact their communications provider, it's important that they find the process as quick and easy as possible.

"Our research gives consumers valuable information about the standards of customer service across different sectors. As well as being a useful point of reference for consumers who may be choosing a new service or provider, we hope this research will provide an industry benchmark and act as an incentive for providers to continue aiming for the highest standards of customer service."

Although some networks may be a little disappointed with the scores on the doors, the report found those who complained were 13 per cent more satisfied than previous years, with a sector total of 59 per cent of people happy the customer services department dealt with their complaint satisfactorily.

The customer contact rate was down 19 per cent year-on-year, demonstrating customers are less likely to complain compared to previous years.

Ofcom also questioned customers about their broadband service, revealing customer service satisfaction was lower in the fixed broadband and landline markets, with market averages of 69 per cent and 67 per cent respectively. Pay TV was the highest in the study, with an average of 80 per cent.

Three has announced 3.1 million of its customers are using 4G, despite the service only launching ten months ago, making it the last UK network to roll out the super-fast service.

Three's 4G service is now available in almost half of the UK (48 per cent), but still lags behind EE's 70 per cent and O2 and Vodafone with 51 per cent coverage.

Three's CEO Dave Dyson said: "The rollout of new capacity is progressing well and, most importantly for me, customer satisfaction is higher than ever. With an advanced 3G network already in place all our customers are able to benefit from a reliable and high performing network.

"The addition of low frequency spectrum is just one part of our plans to expand Three's coverage and bring our network to more people in more places in 2015."

Three aims to cover 98 per cent of the UK with 4G by the end of 2015 by which time its 800MHz spectrum will be up and running around new cell sites to cover more of Britain.

Other strategies include buying a provider that has a stronger 4G network than itself and top of that list is O2. However, O2's chief executive, Ronan Dunne, said earlier in the week it's unlikely Three will acquire the network, with BT looking to be the forerunner.

Dunne said: "At the back end of last year some analysts told me that their main prediction for this year was that Three will buy O2. All I would say is I slept very soundly that night."

Three's parent company Hutchison Whampoa is more likely to buy market leader EE as the two companies already have a tie up, sharing 4G services.

EE plans to extend its coverage around the UK to include more reliable voice services, in addition to 3G and 4G data services, using micro-networks.

The technology has been tested in the Cumbrian village of Sebergham, connecting 129 households and small businesses using three meshed' small antennas.

These connected antennas remove the need to install full-sized masts and reduce disruption because sub-cables don't need to be installed.

Cumbria County Councillor Duncan Fairbairn said: "The mobile service here is either non-existent or spasmodic at best. And the broadband is incredibly slow and very unreliable.

"We're delighted to be the first community in the UK to benefit from this EE initiative, and there are more villages in my parish that I know will benefit hugely from this, and they're excited to be connected next."

The system also doesn't require fixed broadband to give full coverage and EE says it's this that makes the solution completely unique. Antennas are installed on local buildings in hours rather than days and no planning permission is required, making it faster to roll out.

EE CEO Olaf Swantee said: "With this innovative new technology, we have the capability to connect every community in the UK, and we estimate that we'll be able to bring reliable voice coverage and high speed mobile broadband to more than 1,500 places for the first time by 2017.

"We've been working closely with government on the long-term ambition to bring voice coverage to more of the UK, and we believe that this world-first technology will demonstrate significant advancements against that vision."

EE said it is investigating areas that may benefit from this type of service and those suitable will start to see micro-networks installed from early 2015.

The chief executive of O2, Ronan Dunne said it's unlikely that Hutchison Whampoa, parent company of Three, will buy the network.

O2 and EE have been the subject of acquisition talk with Hutchison and BT are emerging as the front runners.

However, Dunne put stops to rumours it would be bought by Hutchison, saying at a media dinner: "Of all the scenarios in the market I think it's the least likely.

"At the back end of last year some analysts told me that their main prediction for this year was that Three will buy O2. All I would say is I slept very soundly that night."

Dunne went on to say that only having three or four mobile networks operating in the UK is unlikely and it's preferred by mobile networks to have four so competition isn't as tight.

In other countries, such as Germany and Ireland, there are fewer mobile networks and special conditions apply to ensure no single network is dominating unfairly.

O2's parent company, Telefonica has been on the lookout to sell a number of its assets, including its UK operation, in a bid to cut its debt and improve its credit rating.

Last week, BT confirmed it was in talks with O2 to take the network over, saying in a statement: "We have received expressions of interest from shareholders in two UK mobile network operators, of which one is O2, about a possible transaction in which BT would acquire their UK mobile business," the statement added.

The other party is thought to be EE, although as Hutchison Whampoa already uses the leading 4G network for its 3G services, it's more likely the company will become part of Three in the UK.

A new report from EE has suggested that the UK national roaming policy currently being mulled over by the government and mobile providers could hold back 4G rollout by up to two years.

The research comes from Capital Economics and predicts that industry spending would be significantly dented by current national roaming plans, with a possible drop of up to 440 million in capital expenditure year-over-year.

Plans could delay the rollout of 4G by between 18 and 24 months, the research claims, while only increasing mobile coverage by 2-4 per cent across the UK.

"EE's consultation response reflects our longstanding view that while we support the ambition to improve rural coverage, the Government's proposal for national roaming in a flawed concept," the mobile provider said in a statement.

The government has proposed the new national roaming law in order to tackle mobile notspots' in rural areas, which reportedly affect a fifth of people across the country.

UK providers have not been enthusiastic about the proposal, with O2 telling IT Pro: "We have made our concerns over the national roaming proposals very clear and have advised the government on a range of alternative solutions to achieve the same ambition, some of which we have already embarked upon.

"National roaming is a regulatory solution that will worsen the experience people have when using their phones and undermine future investment in mobile infrastructure in the UK."

According to the report, mobile operators are currently investing around 5.5 billion between 2012 and 2015.

"Together with the other major UK network operators we will propose a solution that helps solve the problem of rural coverage," EE continued, "without any of the technical, economic and competitive barriers of National Roaming. If agreed by Government, the joint proposal can be implemented quickly and for less cost, a win-win for the British public."

4G speeds beat 3G speeds in the UK by more than double, an Ofcom report has found, despite previous reports indicating that performance of the high-speed data service had fallen.

The study, which looked at results from over 200,000 smartphone tests in five UK cities conducted between March and June, revealed an average 4G speed of 15.1Mbps compared to the average 3G speed of 6.1Mbps.

They said: "Our results show that, on average, UK 4G networks perform much better than 3G networks. These differences are consistent across all mobile operators, and we would expect consumers to notice material differences in the performance of mobile broadband when using any 4G network compared to a 3G network."

A recent report from OpenSignal and Which? claimed that 4G speeds in the UK had actually almost halved in the last year, owing to the increasing demand on networks from new users. The study recorded average download speeds of 19Mbps in August 2014, compared to 10.16 Mbps recorded in September 2013.

Both studies found disparity between the services offered by the various UK networks, with EE offering the best 4G speeds at 18.4Mbps, according to Ofcom. O2 followed with 15.6Mbps, and Vodafone averaged at 14.3Mbps. Three came last with average speeds of just 10.7Mbps.

"Our intention in this research was to help consumers understand the differences in performance between 4G and 3G mobile services," Ofcom said. "This kind of research is designed to support consumers in choosing a mobile service that best suits their needs."

EE has unveiled a 4G Wi-Fi device called Buzzard 2, which aims to bring high-speed connectivity to vehicles.

The modem plugs directly into a car's cigarette lighter (12v connection) and builds on the design of EE's original 3G dongle. The Buzzard 2 sports a USB port to connect and charge up additional devices. It also features an array of lights to alert the user when the device is switched on and connected to 4G.

EE said business users would be able to use the device to get online before or after meetings from the car park, or provide in-car connectivity for their passenger. It said the device would also be useful for taxis and limousine companies to keep their customers connected while on the move.

The Buzzard 2 is available to business users and consumers and will cost 79.99 on pay as you go. Customers buying the device before 31 January 2015 will also get 100MB of data free each month.

The device will also be available on a range of 4GEE pay monthly mobile broadband plans starting from 10, and is free on plans from 15 (3GB) per month and above. The device can also be added for free on a customer's 4GEE mobile Shared plan for 8 per month.

Christopher Traggio, director of PAYG & connected products at EE, said that high-speed internet connectivity has "become second nature for many families both inside the home and on the move so it can come as shock on car journeys when the children can't access their favourite games or TV to entertain themselves."

"Buzzard 2 creates a powerful 4G Wi-Fi connection without battery drain providing a great solution for passengers young and old, so they can check their newsfeeds, stream music, play online games or catch-up on TV in the car," he added.